Race for One Piece Movie Collection
by Teruul
Summary: A collection of movies for my original One Piece story, Race for One Piece. Each movie will be one chapter in this collection. First movie; Prince of Skypiea


_**Race for One Piece Movie**_

_It's finally that time! The time you've all been waiting for, the movie so epic it'll make you jump right outta your chairs! The movie of the decade, no, the century! Prince of Skypiea, ladies and gentlemen!_

_I will not proofread. It's 51 pages, and I worked like hell to get it ready in time, so... if there are any mistakes... well, that'll just suck. Heh._

_Warning! This movie bends the meaning of "sense" and "logic" so far it's not even... yeah. Every time you read something that makes you go "... dafuq..?", trust me; I reacted the same way._

_Enjoy!_

_**Prince of Skypiea**_

**xxxxxxxxxx**

He was moving through the dark alley, running as fast as his aching legs could carry him. His breath gusted past his lips in sharp exhales, and the sweat on his forehead plastered his blonde hair to his brow, leaving him to repeatedly have to raise his arms to wipe the long strands out of his face to clear his vision.

An exclaim escaped his lips as he tripped on his long robes and lost his footing, crashing into the soft ground with a thud. He didn't immediately get back up as his lungs were screaming in protest from the long run. He swallowed thickly a couple of times, but before he could even begin to stabilize his breathing, the sound of running engines reached his ears.

He ground his teeth together and struggled to his feet to resume his escape. He was almost about to pass the town's edge, and he had no idea where to go after that. His pursuers could be laying in ambush to the left and right, and he was in no condition to fight off tens of brutal mercenaries.

Deciding to not waste any time on choosing a direction, he kept moving straight forward, and his surroundings switched from urban to barren. No trees, no more houses, only endless white fields.

"Nowhere to run now!"

He almost let slip a curse as the words of one of his pursuers reached his ears. He was on foot, his chasers on vehicles, and like they had just made clear, he had no chance of hiding himself. Still, he refused to give up and kept running even though he was already way past feeling lightheaded. Small black splotches kept appearing and vanishing in his vision, a clear sign his body was nearing its limit.

All too soon, he was forced to stop. This time he did curse as he skidded to a halt, only a few feet away from an edge and a steep drop down countless kilometers. He had reached the edge of the map, the end of the world as he knew it.

And now he was trapped.

Barely had he taken a few deep breaths before his pursuers appeared behind him. They all wore identical clothes, they rode identical vehicles, they even wore the same identical spiteful grin. One of them dismounted his ride and took a few steps towards him, chuckling darkly as he assumed a defensive stance.

"Give it up already," the man said and unsheathed a broad knife. "Rishley wants you captured alive, but he said nothing about your condition. Return nicely with us, or I'll break all the bones in your left arm right now!"

He couldn't have answered even if he'd wanted to. His labored breathing was taking up his brain's capacity to the point it forgot to generate all other necessary emotions, such as fear of the man in front of him. Despite the sting in his side, he stood up straight and raised his chin to glare at his pursuer with cold pride. He pressed his lips together and took a step backwards, his jaw clenching as he could feel the ground end underneath his heel.

"May the kingdom survive," he said softly. "For all years to come."

What he intended was as good as suicide, but in a situation like this, maybe that was preferable. He inhaled deeply once more before closing his eyes and letting his body fall backwards and over the edge, plunging from his world's end and towards what had always rested below them all, that deep and endless blue.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

The full moon lit up the dark surroundings around Atlas as the ship was gently rocked by the calm sea. Midnight had passed a few hours ago, and the night had drifted without any events, not even as much as the sound of a bird's wing or a fish splashing in the water disturbed the peaceful silence.

The ship's deck was currently deserted. Atlas was rarely left unguarded, but on a calm night like this, the lookout on duty had deemed it safe to momentarily leave the position by the wheel to take a quick bath. Barely twenty minutes had passed before the door to the washroom opened and the guard stepped outside, wearing only a pair of loose, broad shorts and sandals. His hands were busy tangling an already soaked towel into his hair, the process of drying the long blonde locks a job that would stretch on for nearly an hour.

Roa sighed deeply as he regretted letting his hair loose in the bath. Free from its restraints of the usually loose but sturdy braid, the longest golden strand reached almost all the way to the back of his knee, and he silently wondered if he should cut his hair even a little shorter. The archer shivered as a cool breeze hit the droplets on his skin, and he wished he'd stayed inside the washroom to dry himself before stepping outside.

He shrugged to dismiss his thoughts and steered his steps up onto the platform, humming in content as he leaned his back against the wheel. He looked to the left and right in a halfhearted excuse for keeping watch, his mind traveling back to the past few days.

Almost three days had passed since Atlas had departed from Matsuri Island, and a slightly gloomier mood than usual had haunted the ship ever since. Ruule's abrupt leave had come as a heavy hit to them all, perhaps with the exception of Kitsune, who never showed any emotions, and Fell, who hadn't even gotten the chance to get to know him. The absence of the chef and his cheery behavior, not to mention Eluur, had left a very noticeable hole in the everyday life of the Saber Pirates.

Atalaya had recovered fastest, smiling as she'd said, "This was the deal from the start. We all knew he was only here temporarily.", but it took no expert to see it was only an act. Roa, Lance and Kitsune had all followed her example, but the archer couldn't help but silently wonder how much time it would take to get past the loss.

"Maybe we should try to find a new chef as soon as possible," he mumbled, groaning as he straightened his back and rolled his head to the sides to stretch the sore muscles in his neck. A slight twitch in his left eyebrow revealed his irritation when he realized the towel in his hands was finally wet enough to start dripping water, so he huffed in defeat and stormed over to the ship rail to wring every last drop out of the cloth.

A distant rumbling made Roa freeze before he could even take a proper grip of the towel. He slowly moved down the ladder and towards the main mast, where he plucked his bow and quiver from a small hook. As quickly and silently as he could, he tied the quiver around his waist and withdrew an arrow to nock it against his bow. The archer stepped out onto open deck, tightening his grip on his bow when he heard the sound of movement on the ocean's surface on port side of Atlas' bow.

All of Roa's nerves jumped when he saw a large Sea King swimming just below the sea's surface next to the ship. It was bigger than Atlas, casting a silhouette like a whale's on the ocean. It seemed to float peacefully rather than swim, perfectly keeping up with Atlas' pace. Roa prowled along the ship rail, moving carefully not to startle the beast, and he decided to hold his breath when he reached the ship's figurehead, from where he could see the Sea King's face.

With its eyes barely open, it looked like it was close to falling asleep. Its large fins moved at a lazy pace, letting it drift only a few feet forward at each paddle. To get a better look, Roa climbed up on top of the figurehead, and just as he was about to lower himself into a crouching position, he cursed as his left foot slipped in a small puddle of water his hair had created. His sandals slipped off his foot and fell into the sea, and the archer's heart performed a backflip when he turned his attention back to the Sea King.

Piercing green, wide open eyes glared up at him from beneath the surface. The beast had frozen, stopped moving altogether and now simply floated in front of Atlas. Roa stood completely still, not daring to break the eye contact between him and the beast, and slowly, ever so slowly, he lowered himself into a crouching position. When the beast didn't show any signs of wanting to attack, the archer lowered his bow and carefully set it down next to him on the figurehead.

A few electrically charged seconds passed before the Sea King finally blinked and averted its gaze, seemingly satisfied with the sign of peace. It resumed the slow swimming, and Roa sighed in relief and let himself from into a sitting position on the figurehead. He locked his arms around his knees, keeping his focus on the large beast just in case it would decided to come back and attack, but his thoughts strayed back to their previous destination.

There was no way of knowing for sure, but Roa deduced Atlas would reach the next island in a few days. He had no idea what kind of island it was, but he hoped they could find a few member to recruit. Not to mention he wished they could for once get to enjoy some peace and quiet.

The calm and silence of the night quickly made him doze off, and he rested his head against his knees as his eyelids slowly fluttered close. He sighed in content when sleep began tugging at his mind, but before he could accept the welcoming state, the sound of something heavy hitting water made his eyes snap open and he sat up straight so fast he pulled a muscle in his neck.

Roa didn't even have time to search for the source of the sound before a loud bellowing made him grab hold of his bow and jump to his feet, his jaw dropping in shock when he saw the Sea King had seemingly completely lost its mind. It was thrashing around in the water, repeatedly diving and resurfacing, teeth bared in a feral snarl.

"What the hell?" Roa grit out. He had to widen his stance as best he could on the figurehead as the beast's flailing caused large waves to roughly rock Atlas back and forth. The archer withdrew an arrow and coated the arrowhead in paralytic poison as he nocked it to his bow, but just as he was about to fire, he spotted the cause for the Sea King's rampage.

Amidst the quickly forming chaos in the sea Roa could spot a human being. The man's long robes constantly threatened to drag him underneath the surface, and his long hair did nothing to spare him that event. He was unconscious, completely oblivious to the fact that he was only seconds away from being eaten by a giant sea monster.

It took Roa only a split second to decide what to do. When the Sea King's head rose from the sea to charge at the body in the water, the archer raised his aim to point just below the beast's chin. "Crippling Shot," he growled and fired the arrow.

The arrowhead buried into the Sea King's scales, and the beast threw its head back to release another bellowing, but nothing came out. The arrow had been aimed at its throat and the poison quickly spread throughout the vocal cords, effectively disabling its voice for a limited amount of time.

Without wasting precious seconds admiring his work, Roa whirled around and jumped off the figurehead, dashing over the deck until he reached the main mast. He grabbed hold of the first strap of rope he could find and moved right back towards the hull, strapping his bow over his shoulders as he jumped up on the ship rail and dove straight into the cold ocean.

Completely ignoring the still flailing beast, the archer swam right into the middle of the turmoil and grabbed hold of the unconscious man's arm, and his eyes widened to the size of dinner plates when he saw something horrifyingly similar to wings sprouted out of the man's shoulder blades. Roa stared at the drenched feathers for almost five seconds before remembering the situation at hand when the Sea King focused its attention on him again.

He quickly pushed all curiosity aside and tied the rope around one of his arrows, secured the other end around his waist and fired the arrow towards Atlas' rail. Once his grip was secure, Roa pulled the man over his shoulders and started dragging himself towards the ship. His muscles protested loudly as he had to climb straight up the ship's side with the weight of the man pushing him down, but the sound of the Sea King preparing for another attack shoved all those thoughts away.

"Faster, faster," Roa chanted as the sound of splashing water became louder. He ground his teeth together when he reached the ship rail, and with a growl, he hoisted himself all the way up. With no time to spare, he practically tossed the man down onto deck, tore his bow from his shoulder and whirled around to greet the Sea King that was only a few yards from crashing into Atlas at full speed.

"Special Arrow," the archer said loudly and nocked five electrically charged arrows, aiming straight between the beast's eyes. "Electrical Arrow Storm!"

The Sea King was barely five feet away from the ship when the arrows hit its brow and it froze. One second of complete silence passed before the beast's body started spasming, quivering like a leaf in a storm. Breathing heavily, Roa held his position, a new arrow braced and ready to fire in case he would need to. He kept his eyes focused on the Sea King, not daring to lower his guard before the beast fell to the side, crashing into the water and disappearing below the surface.

A sharp exhale gusted past the archer's lips when he finally dropped his bow to the deck and cut himself loose from the rope, but he didn't have much time to recover as he had to make sure the man he'd just brought aboard Atlas was still alive. "Ah, shit," Roa growled when he realized his hair was once again completely soaked, sticking to his skin like the white on rice. If the man he'd saved was okay, he would blame it all on him.

Before tending to the man, Roa hurried over to the companionway and stepped down the ladders to see if the brawl with the Sea King had woken anyone up. He sighed in relief when he found the rest of the crew were all still sleeping soundly. Their exhaustion from the several days they'd been hard at work on the ship was clearly enough for them to sleep through the attack of a Sea King. Fell had crawled out of her own little bed and curled up in the blankets of Roa's bed, and the archer couldn't stop the smallest of smiles from tugging on the corner of his lips.

The smile quickly vanished when he crouched down next to the man and flipped him onto his back, deciding to worry about the wing-like appendages later. Instead, he leaned forward and placed his ear to the man's chest, sighing in relief when he heard the steady rhythm of a heartbeat. Slightly at loss for what exactly to do, Roa straightened up, braced his palms flat against the man's pectorals and pressed down. When the action didn't trigger a response, the archer repeated the process, his temper starting to flare as he did it again and again and again.

Suddenly, after almost twenty seconds, the man jolted awake. He sat up straight so abruptly, his forehead smacked against Roa's chin, and a very colorful curse rolled past the archer's teeth as he stumbled to his feet. "The hell was that, bastard?" he growled, hissing as he clutched to his reddening jaw.

The man was seemingly too shocked to even notice the pain in his brow. He threw his head to the sides, and Roa took his state of confusion as an opportunity to study his appearance. His hair was waist-long and blonde, although it had a slightly darker shade than the archer's, and the locks had been tied into two odd antenna-like shapes on the top of his head. He looked to be in his early twenties, and he was dressed in strange red and white robes. His wings were white, short and pointy, but no matter what they looked like, they were _wings_ all the same.

"I'm alive... where is this?" the man asked, snapping the archer out of his daze. "I must know, where am I?"

Roa arched an eyebrow at the pleading tone. "Grand Line," he said and crossed his arms over his chest. "Why were you in the water, this far out on the sea?"

"Grand Line?" The man's forehead creased in confusion and he resumed the previous action of frantically looking around. "I'm on the sea..." Ignoring Roa's question, he tilted his head back, his jaw dropping as he stared up into the sky. "Is it possible..." He jumped to his feet, the sudden action causing Roa to instinctively take a step backwards. "Are you a Blue Sea Dweller?" the man asked, stressed. "I'm no longer in Skypiea?"

His confusion was now mirrored on Roa's face, and the archer slowly began wondering if the accident in the water had damaged the man's brain. "Introduce yourself first before you ask for _my_ name," he snapped and equipped his usual scowl.

The man blinked a few times before sighing and straightening his back, a somewhat calm expression finally appearing on his face. "I apologize for my bad manners," he said and reached out a hand to shake Roa's. "My name is Trinite. I'm from the land above the clouds, Skypiea."

After hesitating for a few moments, Roa grabbed the man's hand. "Shuusun Roa," he said curtly. "And what the hell is a Blue Sea Dweller? Or Skypiea?"

Trinite arched an eyebrow in dismay and quickly released Roa's hands. "Your language is repulsive," he stated and shook his head, shivering when several drops of water fell from his hair and onto his hands. "I can't believe you actually speak like that down here."

A flash of irritation sparked inside of Roa, but he quickly suppressed the will to start cursing even more at the man. "You remind me a little too much of our shipwright," he grumbled. "Look, I'll try to keep the cursing down if you tell me what the bloody he- what Skypiea is, okay?"

Trinite looked at Roa as if he'd been looking at a complete idiot. "How can you _not_ know of Skypiea?" he snorted. "Are you really unaware that there are several countries floating above your heads every single day?" When Roa still looked confused, the man raised a hand to rub at his eyes. "Alright," he sighed and searched his mind for an easy explanation. "_If_ this is the Blue Sea, and I strongly suspect it is... then the lands of Skypiea are just like yours, only the islands rest on clouds instead of water."

A long silence followed Trinite's words. Roa stared at him for almost ten seconds before tipping his head back and looking up towards the starry night sky, and his disbelief only grew when he couldn't spot a single cloud. "Right," he said slowly when he lowered his gaze again. "So this Skypiea... are you the only one who can see this place?"

Irritation mixed with offense flared up in Trinite's eyes at the sarcastic remark. "You don't have to believe me," he said loudly. "But how else could I have fallen straight down into the sea? There are no other boats around, and I see no birds here large enough to carry an angel around! The only explanation is that I came from up above!"

His words made Roa go silent. What Trinite said made more sense than any other explanation as to how he could've dropped down into the ocean in the middle of nowhere. "Alright," he said, pushing all worries about Skypiea's existence to the side. "If you live up in heaven, how come you fell down here? Did the clouds just vanish from underneath your feet?"

"I don't appreciate your tone," Trinite huffed. "I was chased to the edge of the clouds, and instead of becoming a slave for my pursuers, I jumped."

"Oh, so you're an escaped criminal," Roa stated and sighed in understanding. "Well, what else is there to say than 'welcome to the club', I suppose."

"_What_?! I'm no cri- what do you mean, welcome?" Trinite asked, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "By chance, are you..?"

The smallest of grins danced over Roa's lips as he nodded. "I'm a pirate," he said and pointed up at the Saber Pirates' Jolly Roger. "An outlaw who sails the seas," he added when he noticed Trinite's blank stare.

"I know what a pirate is," Trinite scoffed. His expression turned a little worrisome as he took a good look around on the ship and noticed he was indeed located on a pirate ship. "So you're a pirate," he said and focused his light green eyes on Roa. "Are you going to kill me?"

Roa released a loud snort. "I see even angels follow the general belief that all pirates are brutal bastards," he said and clicked his tongue. "Why the hell would I kill you after saving your life?"

A brief silence settled between the two as they glared daggers at each other. Finally, Roa sighed and shook his head, raising his arms as if in defeat. "Fine," he said. "Believe whatever you want. But I swear I won't kill you."

Although a little hesitant, Trinite nodded to show he trusted the archer. "I suppose I should thank you instead of making accusations," he said and braced his hands against the deck. "I would be dead if not for you, so I offer you my gratitude." He bowed down low, leaving Roa with a very uncomfortable feeling.

"Don't do that," the archer muttered and averted his gaze. "I only did what anyone would've done." The first sign of a smile danced over Trinite's lips as he straightened up again. "So..." Roa cleared his throat. "If you're not an outlaw, why were you chased?"

A deadly serious expression quickly replaced all other emotions Trinite could've shown. "My pursuers work for a man named Rishley," he said, disgust flaring in his eyes. "Although Rishley is an angel as well, he's only recently showed up in the kingdom I come from. His plan is to take over the throne of the castle and rule over all of Skypiea."

Roa arched an eyebrow at Trinite's hateful tone. "And where do you come into the picture?" he asked.

"I'm Skypiea's-" He bit off the sentence halfway through, his eyes widening. He raised a hand to silence Roa when the archer parted his lips to ask what was wrong and almost unnoticeably shook his head. "They couldn't have..." he mumbled as he listened intently to their surroundings, the distant sound of engines sending several cold shivers down his spine.

"Oi, Trinite, what's-"

"They're here!" Trinite rose to his feet so quickly he lost his balance and staggered backwards until his back connected with the main mast. "They've come to take me back!" he said loudly, panic quickly welling up inside his body. "They chased me all the way down here!"

Confusion rooted Roa to the spot as he watched Trinite fly into a state of complete panic, but before he could ask what had caused it, his ears caught the sound of machinery, as if several engines were heading in their direction. He threw a quick glance at the angel before dashing out to open deck, and his jaw dropped when he saw dozens of what looked like small flying boats descending towards Atlas. Every vehicle was carrying a rider, and from what Roa could see, they were all angels.

"What the hell are those?!" the archer shouted and moved to grab hold of his bow. "Are they the ones who were chasing you?"

Trinite nodded, and Roa ground his teeth together at the flash of fear in the angel's eyes. "Go hide," he said and braced an arrow to his bow. "Hide in the room behind the wheel. I'll take care of these guys!"

The archer waited until Trinite had disappeared into the room before firing the arrow. The arrowhead buried into the chest of the closest rider, who exclaimed in pain and stumbled off the vehicle and fell into the sea. "Flying Waver 8 is down!" one of the remaining pursuers shouted. "Waver 6 and 9, knock him out! We need to bring him back as soon as possible!"

"Give it your best shot, bastards," Roa growled and nocked two new arrows, one infused with ice, the other with electricity. "Special Arrow! Electric Ice Shot!"

He tipped one of the arrows to the side just before firing, and they blasted off in different directions. They connected with their targets when the riders were only a few yards away from the ship, and both vehicles stopped functioning as one engine froze while the other short-circuited. Both riders fell into the ocean, but one of their vehicles crashed against the ship rail, and a cold shiver ran down Roa's spine as he watched the sleek wood break underneath the machine.

The vehicle's speed made it bounce up from the splinters again, this time flying in a neat bow and landing in the sea, but the damage had been done, and Roa cursed as he imagined what Lance would do to punish him for the gaping hole in Atlas' ship rail. "I'm in deep shit now," he growled, momentarily forgetting the situation at hand.

His distraction cost him greatly as something extremely heavy suddenly collided with the back of his head. One of the rides had driven straight towards him, crashing the front of the vehicle into his head, and Roa hissed as his vision started to blur. "Shit..!" The bow slipped out of his grip and he tried to raise a hand to rub at his eyes, but he found he couldn't control his limbs. Black plumps spread across his vision, and the last thing he felt was someone tugging him off Atlas' deck before he fell unconscious.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

The sun had barely started rising when Atalaya was woken up from her sleep by a loud screech. She groaned and cracked an eye open, the ceiling above her the only thing she could see. "Fell..?" she mumbled as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. "It's way too early to start making noise like that, you know."

She glanced towards the dragon's little nest, and in her sleep-drunk state, it took her almost five seconds to notice Fell was nowhere to be seen. She sighed when she found Roa's bed empty as well, which could only mean the dragon had woken up early to keep the archer company in his last hours as the lookout. Atalaya slid down from her loft and moved past the bunks where the rest of her crew were still sound asleep, muttering under her breath as she climbed up the ladder and onto the deck.

"Oi, Roa," she said loudly. "Don't rile her up so early in the mor... ning..."

Atalaya's words stacked in her throat when she took in the sight the deck presented her with. The ship rail on Atlas' port side was destroyed, with dark burn marks around the edges. Several arrows lay sprawled out across the deck, and by the figurehead, Roa's bow lay deserted.

"Roa-"

Before she could do more than take a few steps forward, another screech sounded from behind her, and she quickly ducked down as Fell flew straight over her head and landed on deck She folded her large wings next to her body and hurried over to the bow, crying out as she pushed her snout against it.

"What happened here," Atalaya breathed out. "Roa!" She whirled around and twisted her head in attempt to spot the archer. "_Roa_!"

"What's goin' on?" Kitsune appeared from the companionway next to her, his usual smile faltering to be replaced by surprise at the sight of Atlas' deck. "Oi oi, sweetheart," he said slowly and crossed his arms over his chest. "What happened ta the ship?"

"I don't-"

"What are you all doing out of bed this early?"

Atalaya jumped up in panic as Lance's voice sounded from below deck, and she quickly looked around for anything she could use to not let the shipwright see the damage that had befallen Atlas, but before she could even think of what to say, Lance climbed out of the companionway.

"What are you-" The shipwright froze as if petrified when his eyes landed on the damaged rail. His shoulders pulled up to his ears and went rigid, and his irises were trembling slightly as his eyes traveled from the ship rail to Fell, who was trying to pick up Roa's bow.

"Lance-"

"Oh, I see."

Goosebumps broke out over Atalaya's arms as she watched a menacing smile stretch the shipwright's lips, and the air around him turned dangerous, almost as if it would kill anyone who stepped too close to him now. "Where is he?" he asked, his voice dark and hoarse. "Where is our navigator?"

When neither Atalaya nor Kitsune answered him, he spun around on the heel and stormed up the ladder and onto the second floor, his smoldering eyes burning holes through the door to Roa's room. "You better hope I don't find you in there," he growled, and Atalaya groaned and rubbed her forehead in stress when she realized the shipwright was furious enough to revert from his polite language.

Lance swung the door open, not even seeming to notice as it crashed into the opposite wall. He scanned the room, his anger escalating when his eyes landed on long, blonde locks on top of the couch, rising and falling steadily in time with the owner's sleeping breaths. "You!" The shipwright moved over to the couch, fisted the hem of the man's robes and pulled him onto the floor.

"What's going-"

"You," Lance snarled again and dragged him out of the room. "You lazy, obnoxious charlatan, you brutal, violent, good for nothing son of a-"

"Lance!"

The shipwright ground his teeth together as he slammed the man's back into the steering wheel just as Atalaya called his name, a warning tone in her voice. She had climbed halfway up the ladder and was glaring up at him with stern eyes. "He destroyed a part of the ship, captain," he said loudly. "I'm gonna teach him what happens if-"

"That's not Roa!"

Almost ten whole seconds of complete silence followed before Lance turned back to the man in front of him, his eyes widening to the size of dinner plates when he found he was indeed fisting the hem of an unknown man's robes. The man was older than Roa, had slightly shorter and lighter hair, not to mention the striking wing-like appendages sticking out from between the long locks.

Lance instantly released him and stepped back, a mortified expression on his face as he watched the man drop to his knees, rub his collar and cough violently. "I-" Lance looked from the man to Atalaya, who hurried up to the blonde and helped him stand up straight. "I cannot apologize enough!" the shipwright exclaimed, but his loud voice only served to make the man jump up out of shock and stagger backwards, collide with the rail, topple over and fall down onto deck.

Kitsune broke out into hysterical laughter while Lance looked like he'd just been shot. Atalaya sent the swordsman a glare of disdain before following the man over the rail to once again help him stand up. "Are you okay?" she asked and leaned forward to get a good look at the man's face.

"I think so," he groaned and raised a hand to rub at the back of his face. Atalaya quirked an eyebrow as she studied his appearance and noticed he resembled Roa quite a lot, not only by his long hair. He was the same build as the archer and roughly the same height. His current expression even resembled Roa's usual scowl.

"Uhh..." The man threw an uncertain glance around him and quickly released himself from Atalaya's hold. "You're all pirates," he said, assuming a defensive stance. "Roa said he wasn't going to kill me. Are you?"

Atalaya couldn't help but snort at the man's reaction. "No, we're not," she said and offered him a reassuring smile, but her kindness went wasted as Lance chose that exact moment to appear between her and the man.

"I am truly sorry for my behavior," the shipwright said and dropped to his knees to bow down in apology. "I mistook you for someone else. I would never have laid a finger upon you had I known..."

The man's panic only seemed to grow at Lance's enthusiasm, and he backed into the main mast with an outraged expression. "You attacked me!" he growled and pointed at the shipwright. "I was hiding and you attacked me! I was terrified, I thought my pursuers had found me!"

"C'mon, fancy pants, stop embarrassin' yerself," Kitsune said and used his toes to poke Lance in the side. "Get up already, would ya?"

"Alright, let's all calm down," Atalaya said and raised her hands, but Fell decided to interpret the gesture as a sign to attack, and she flew straight into the man's ribs. He exclaimed as he toppled over for the fourth time this day, his eyes widening comically when he found himself on his back with a dragon sitting on top of him, fangs bared as she growled.

"A-a dragon?!" he sputtered, and Atalaya's patience broke when she saw he was close to fainting.

"_Enough_!" she shouted, and everyone on deck froze on the spot. "Fell, get off him _now_." The dragon snorted and spread her wings in a threatening manner before jumping off the man's chest and onto the deck. "Lance, stand up," Atalaya went on. "Kitsune, stop messing with him!"

Both obliged, so she crouched down next to the blonde man, an apologetic smile on her lips. "I'm really sorry," she said and pulled him to his feet. "But try to understand our confusion." Atalaya waited for the man to calm down before speaking up again. "Let's start with introductions," she said and reached out a hand towards him. "My name's Atalaya. I'm the captain of this ship."

The man blinked and parted his lips to speak, but he had to swallow a few times before he found his voice. "I'm Trinite," he said and carefully shook her hand.

"Trinite," Atalaya repeated and smiled. "The one in the red kimono is Kitsune, the first mate, and the dragon over there is Fell. She's recently hatched and still in training, so her manners aren't the best. The one who... who woke you up is Lance. He's our shipwright and usually a very calm person. He just mistook you for our navigator-"

"Roa," Trinite said and looked around, only now noticing the archer's absence. "Where is he?"

"That's..." Atalaya hesitated slightly and threw a glance at the abandoned bow out on deck. "I was hoping you could answer that," she said. "Why are you here in the first place? And how do you know Roa?"

Trinite stared at her with wide eyes for a few moments before groaning and burying his face in his hands. "Oh _no_," he grit out and sank down to his knees. "And it's all my fault..!"

"What is?"

He ran a hand through his hair, daring to shoot a glance of extreme guilt at Atalaya. "He's been taken to Skypiea in my stead," he said. "Let me explain everything form the start so you'll fully understand the situation."

Trinite told them all about him and Skypiea, about how he'd been chased and how Roa had saved him from the Sea King. "And when the Flying Waver Squad caught up with me here, Roa told me to hide," he said and shook his head. "I saw him shoot down three wavers, and one of them crashed into your ship."

A somewhat guilty expression crawled over Lance's face as he realized his anger towards the archer had been completely misplaced, but before he could dwell on the fact, Trinite continued his story. "I became too scared to keep watching, so I closed the door and hid in the room," he mumbled. "I waited for Roa to come and get me, but I must've fallen asleep. And then you woke me..."

Atalaya stood quiet, her eyes wide from the story she was forced to ingest. "So you're saying Roa has been taken up to a land that floats on clouds," she said slowly. "Because the pursuers thought he was you." She released a low growl when Trinite nodded. "But why were you chased in the first place?" she asked, trying her best to keep her voice steady.

"I told you Rishley wants to control the throne and Skypiea along with it," Trinite said. He slowly rose to his feet and placed his right hand to his chest. "To accomplish that, he needs me. I am Trinite III, the crown prince of Skypiea. I am supposed to take over the throne after my recently deceased father, the king."

A deafening silence followed this statement, during which Lance sent Atalaya a glance of completely panic. Atalaya knew exactly what the shipwright was thinking and dismissively shook her head. The fact that he had attacked a prince was the least of their concerns right now. Fell climbed halfway up the main mast and growled, the silence making her agitated.

"So," Atalaya said after a good while. "Trinite. Rishley is the man who took Roa, right?"

"Not in person, but he ordered the capture of... of me."

"Right. So how do we get to Skypiea from here?"

Trinite's eyes widened as he stared up at Atalaya. "How do you- huh?" he looked utterly baffled, his gaze traveling from her to Kitsune and to Lance as if he expected to find an explanation on their faces. "Why..?" was all he managed to ask.

"We're gonna bring Roa back here, of course," Atalaya said and cracked her knuckles. "And we're gonna bring you back home to Skypiea in the process. _And_ I'm gonna kick the living shit out of that Rishley bastard!"

Kitsune hummed like he'd known all along that this would be the outcome, and Lance nodded in agreement to the captain's decision. Trinite swallowed repeatedly as he struggled to find his words, and his voice was hoarse when he finally spoke up again. "Why would you do that?" he asked. "I've caused you nothing but trouble, and you're still willing to help me."

"Don't misunderstand, Trinite," Atalaya said and smiled as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "We're not doing this for you. I'm not going to Skypiea and confronting Rishley because it would gain you in any way. No, we're doing this for Roa." A cold shiver traveled down Trinite's spine as Atalaya's expression darkened. "He made a huge mistake by hurting one of my comrades," she said. "And for that, I'm gonna hunt him down and beat him to a pulp!"

Trinite nodded slowly, taken aback by Atalaya's words. "I see," he said and rubbed his forehead. "Well, I will do what I can to help, and I can start by showing you a way to Skypiea." He reached inside his robe and pulled out an ornate blue seashell. "This Dial contains a rubber hot-air ballon," he explained and held it up so they could get a good look at it. "It's a fairly new invention as we Skypieans haven't known of rubber for very long, but around half a year ago, another group of Blue Sea Dwellers came to Skypiea and brought the material to us. Since then, many new Dials have appeared in our land, and this is the most popular."

"I have never heard of a Dial before," Lance said and leaned forward to get a good look at the object. "What are they?"

"Dials are containers," Trinite said and bounced the shell up and down in his hand. "For everything and anything. Light, air, fire, even clouds and human voices. You don't have that form of technology down on the Blue Sea?" He hummed in surprise when they all shook their heads. "Well, the balloon inside this Balloon Dial should be large enough to carry this ship," he went on. "We'll just need a live fire to keep it flying."

Trinite raised the Dial and moved his free hand to press down the tip, but before he got the chance, Atalaya grabbed hold of his arm. She offered him a quick smile before pushing him backwards so he stumbled into Lance. "If Rishley's still looking for you, you'd better disguise yourself," she said and clapped her hands together. "Lance, lend him a set of clothes and we'll see what we can do about his wings and those antennas."

The shipwright nodded and locked his hands on Trinite's shoulder, steering him towards his workshop. The angel looked slightly terrified by the thought of spending time alone with a man who had given him the most brutal wake-up ever, but before he could protest, he was shoved into the room and the door closed behind him.

Atalaya's smile vanished off her face as soon as Trinite had disappeared and she raised both hands so she could claw at her hair. "How the hell didn't I wake up at night?" she growled. "I could've prevented this from happening!"

"Ah, it ain't good ta beat yerself up, sweetheart," Kitsune jingled and clasped his hands behind his head and leaned back on his heels. "And we're gettin' blondie back straight away, yeah?"

Agitated, Atalaya nodded and turned around to look out over the sea, and she exclaimed when Fell's left wing smacked against her forehead. The dragon offered her a high-pitched growl from her position at the main mast, and Atalaya furrowed her brow as the message was clear. "I know Roa's strong and he can take care of himself," she snapped and raised her arm so she could flick the dragon between her eyes. "But I'm still allowed to worry about him, right?"

Fell snarled softly, baring her blunt teeth in a less than impressive growl, and a deep sigh gusted past Atalaya's lips. "Yeah, you're worried too," she said and patted the dragon on the head, to which she snorted and clicked her teeth together.

"Alright." Atalaya moved out towards the figurehead and crouched down to pick up Roa's bow. She turned it around in her hands for a few seconds before strapping it over her shoulder. "I'll take care of your bow," she mumbled and tilted her head back to stare up to the sky. "We're on our way, Roa!"

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Roa was slowly roused from his sleep as the uneven and rough flooring pressed against his cheek, nudging the aching bruise on his temple where the flying vehicle had hit. He groaned and cracked an eye open to see thick white bars lined up neatly in front of him. He tried to move his body, but although he found his arms and legs weren't bound, he had no strength in his body to move around.

It took the archer a few minutes to get his body to start working again, and he carefully raised his head from the floor so he could get a good look around. He was lying on the floor of what seemed like a large opening in the wall, secluded from a corridor by the white bars. There were no windows. The only source of light was a strange-looking shell that seemed to emit candle-light.

"What the hell happened..." he groaned and rose into a sitting position, blinking rapidly to clear his vision. The hall outside his cell was deserted, with no sounds whatsoever disturbing the silence. "Where am I?"

He staggered to his feet, groaning as small stars started appearing in his vision. He braced a hand against the wall and rubbed at his eyes, standing still until he found he could walk properly. With the hand on the wall keeping him balanced, Roa moved over to the bars and tentatively grabbed hold of one and tugged. The material it was made of was strange and felt like hardened wool, but whatever it was made of, it didn't budge.

"You've gotta be kidding me," he growled and pushed off the wall as he felt his strength and balance return to normal. "Prison? They brought me to prison? _Oi_!" He clenched his right hand into a fist and drove it into the bars, the contact emitting a loud bang. "Anybody wanna get in here and tell me what the hell's going on?" he shouted.

Much to Roa's surprise, the sound of doors opening nearby instantly followed his demand. He took a few steps back from the bars and braced himself to face off with whoever it was that had captured him. The sound of approaching footsteps made his muscles tense, and before anyone appeared on the other side of the bars, a voice echoed through the corridor.

"I was overjoyed when the Flying Waver Squad returned to me with good news," it said, the gravely baritone triggering an unwelcome shiver down Roa's spine. "They had caught the fugitive. They had prevented the disastrous calamity the fugitive's absence would cause my strategy. So I rushed over here to see Trinite and make sure our salvation was secured. You can imagine my disappointment when I found _you_ instead."

A man stepped into the light of the seashell, and Roa's expression darkened when he saw the man was dressed in the same type of robes as Trinite. He had the same shaped wings as well as the antenna-shaped hairdo, although this man's hair was brown. He was smiling, the expression almost innocent as he had pulled up his eyebrows in an almost apologetic manner, but it took no expert to recognize the pure hatred that danced in the man's eyes.

"Yeah, I'm not too happy about being here either," Roa said loudly and took a step closer to the bars. He knew exactly who this man was, but he decided not to expose the fact that he was familiar with Trinite. "Who are you and where am I?"

"Eager, aren't you?" The man released a chortle. "My name is Rishley," he said, confirming Roa's suspicions. "I worked under the late king of Skypiea as his advisor. That is also your current location. Skypiea, I mean."

_Shit_, Roa thought and ground his teeth together. _If I'm really in Skypiea, that means getting back to Atlas is gonna be pretty damn rough_. He cleared his throat when he noticed Rishley was looking at him with eyebrows raised in expectation. "And why did you bring me here?" he asked.

"_You_ were never supposed to be brought here to the castle," Rishley sighed and shook his head. "My incompetent employees mistook you for somebody else, a fugitive, whom you happen to resemble quite a lot. They accidentally knocked you unconscious and took you here. A simple mistake, I hope you understand."

Roa didn't say anything. Trinite had told him about Rishley's plans, so he was fully aware that everything the man was telling him right now was a lie. "Now, I know this is very unreasonable of me to ask," Rishley went on. "But since you look so much like the man I was looking for, I wonder if you'd be willing to do me a favor, one only _you_ could pull off now."

A few seconds' silence passed while Roa tried to work out the best way to move forward from here. His insides were burning with rage towards the man, but he couldn't expose why. To play along would be best, but he wondered if his temper could take it. "What kind of favor?" he asked, trying to sound both nonchalant and curious.

The ghost of a triumphant smile flashed over Rishley's lips before he spoke up again. "You see, the fugitive in question was an evil man who was about to rise to the throne under a false identity," he said. "And just before he disappeared, he refused to take part in the public restoring of our resources, which have been faltering for some time now. I am only an advisor, so I can't give an order, even if it _is_ for the best of our people. But _you_..."

He stepped a little closer to the bars and scanned Roa from head to toe, his smile almost turning hungry. "If we would dress you up like the fugitive, _you_ could give the order in his stead," Rishley said and nodded enthusiastically. "That way, you would help us save Skypiea and it's people from-"

"What a load of crap!"

Roa's patience had finally snapped, and he growled as he stormed up to the bars and drove his fist into one of the poles, the action making Rishley take a step backwards in surprise. "If you think I'm gonna help you take over the throne, you've got some serious issues," the archer spat out and tugged at the bars although he knew they wouldn't budge. "It all makes sense now, why he was chased and why _you _wanna find him. Trinite's not a _fugitive_, he's the king's son, the prince!" He released a dry snarl and raised a hand to point at Rishley. "I know exactly who you are and what you're planning, bastard!" he snapped. "So quit selling me your bullshit stories!"

Nothing but pure surprise danced over Rishley's face as he stared at Roa. Both of them stood still for a few seconds, then a ghostly smile stretched the angel's lips. "I see," he said, his tone void of all previous kindness. "That can only mean you met with Trinite. Well, I suppose that makes the favor that much easier to introduce. Sadly, I don't have enough time to find prince Trinite, so you _will_ take his identity and order the people of Skypiea to do as I say in his stead. Or I will kill you myself."

"There's not a chance in hell I'm gonna do that."

Rishley released a bark of laughter and took a step closer, reaching inside his robes to retrieve a long, sharp knife. "Do you really want to die that badly?" he asked darkly and tapped the blade against the prison bars.

"Of course I don't _want_ to die," Roa scoffed, offense mixing into his already seething anger. "But I would rather die than help you achieve whatever it is you want!"

Rishley arched an eyebrow, half in surprise and half in amusement. "Courageous words from a Blue Sea Dweller," he said and shook his head, a sigh gusting past his lips as he put away the knife. "I'll return in an hour or so, and believe me when I say you won't be refusing my offer then."

He turned to the side and beckoned his index finger. A man stepped up to the bars, and Roa instantly recognized him as the one of the riders who had been shouting out orders. "This is Voster," Rishley said and placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "He'll be keeping an eye on you while you... While you make up your mind."

With that, he turned on the heel and walked away from the cell, his footsteps the only sound as Roa and Voster glared at each other with murderous intent. "So," Roa said the very second the sound of doors closing reached his ears. "Seems like you've earned yourself a demotion."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Going from the squad leader of those flying things to babysitting me." Roa shook his head and sighed dramatically. "At least it's not a promotion, huh?" he said, intentionally tantalizing his guard.

Voster bristled at his words and took a few steps closer, withdrawing a small and thin but sharp dagger. "You better watch it," he hissed, teeth bared in anger. "Unless you want me to-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Roa reached out between the bars, grabbed hold of the collar of Voster's shirt and yanked the angel forward as hard as he could, growling in satisfaction when Voster's head smashed against the bars.

Roa quickly released him, and the angel drooped to the floor, unconscious. "Thanks for this, idiot," the archer huffed and snatched the knife from Voster's loose grip. "Let's see..." Roa walked along the bars until he found the lock to his cell, and after examining it for a few seconds, he jammed the dagger into the keyhole and twisted it around.

The knife stuck but the lock clicked open, and a triumphant grin stretched Roa's lips as he walked out of the cell and looked around. He was standing in a long corridor with several prison cells lined up alone the walls. The only way out was the door from which Rishley had entered. "Guess there's no choice but that way," Roa muttered and stepped over Voster.

He slowly opened the door and looked around to make sure the coast was clear. The castle was completely silent, not a single person in view, so Roa moved away from the door, sneaking along the wall and towards the opening that lead to the next room.

When he passed a large window, he paused to look outside. Far below him, a beautiful garden spread out for hundreds of meters, bushes and plants Roa had never seen before growing happily in the sunlight. "This is the back of the castle," he muttered and pushed away from the wall. He dashed across the room until he reached a door, and he sucked in a deep breath before pushing down the handle.

He had barely moved the door more than three centimeters before the sound of voices reached his ears. He bit back a growl as he recognized one of the voices as Rishley's, while the other was new. Carefully to not move the door further, Roa rested his ear towards the crack to hear better.

"... like I expected," he heard Rishley say. His voice sounded both agitated and exhilarated at the same time. "He needs to be persuaded, so prepare the Monitor Dial for this. And ready the Sky's Redemption."

"Yes, sir."

Before Roa could even begin to decipher what this all meant, the sound of approaching footsteps made him quickly step back, panic rising as he tried to find a suitable place to hide. He stalled too long, so when the door handle was pushed down, he dove in behind the door and held his breath.

The door swung open, just barely touching Roa's side and perfectly hiding him from whoever it was who was standing on the other side. Footsteps moved towards the prison, and the archer waited until he heard the prison door open before hurrying out of his hiding and through the door next to him.

_I have to get out of here _now, he thought as he sprinted through a hall. _I have to get back to Atlas_.

The entire castle was completely deserted. No servants nor inhabitants anywhere to be seen. "All the better for me," Roa muttered as he rounded a corner and came face to face with a large door. He sneaked up to it, as soundlessly as if he'd been out hunting in Wayward Island's forests. He pressed his ear to the door and listened intently, and when he didn't hear anything, he slowly pushed down the handle and peeked inside.

A large room, big enough to fit four regular-sized houses stretched out in front of him. Several rows of ornate benches were lined up along the room, and in the exact middle of the rows, a dark blue carpet had been rolled out, clearly serving as a road to walk over. The carpet stretched from the grand doors that led out of the room, and to the far end of the room, where a pristine throne had been raised.

"The throne room," Roa mumbled and moved inside, soundlessly closing the door behind him. Momentarily forgetting his intentions to escape the castle, he stepped up to the throne and studied its appearance. "This is where Trinite will sit..." The engravings on the backrest were unreadable to the archer, but the picture of prestigious wings, a large serpent, a bell and clouds were expertly made, and Roa scoffed as he compared this to the plain throne of Xerxes Silva, queen of Solare Kingdom. That seemed more like a chair than a throne next to this one.

A sudden _click_ made him flinch, and he quickly dove in behind the throne to hide himself from plain sight. _Crap_, he thought and inhaled deeply to calm his thundering heartbeat. _I shouldn't have lingered_.

The grand doors to the room were flung open with such force they slammed into the walls, and the chandeliers hanging from the roof rattled. "I don't care _how_ he managed to escape!" It was Rishley who spoke, his voice heavy with rage. "If we lose him, we have _nothing_!" he shouted. "Our work will _all_ be for _nothing_!"

"We'll find him, sir," another voice said, and Roa recognized it was the same he'd heard before. "The guards would've noticed if he'd left through the gates, so he must still be in the castle."

"Then go look for him, Mister White! Get Mister Black off his ass and have him help, or so help me God, I'll-"

"'Tis done, sir. We'll find him."

The doors swung shut, and Roa cursed internally as Rishley didn't leave. The angel was walking towards the throne, muttering to himself about incompetence. "Is there _anyone_ who'll be able to do as I say once I'm king?" he sighed, and Roa's blood froze when he realized Rishley was standing right in front of the throne, barely one and a half meters of space between them. "Will I find _anyone_ willing to serve in this wretched kingdom?"

_It's not your kingdom, bastard_, Roa thought and pressed a hand over his lips to make sure he didn't let any sounds slip. He heard a rustling noise and almost groaned as he realized Rishley had taken a seat at the throne. _If I only had my bow..._

Just as Roa was about to wonder how long the man was going to sit quiet and still, Rishley stood up and walked towards the grand doors. "Not long now," the archer heard him mutter right before the doors closed and silence took over the room.

"I need to get the hell outta here," Roa hissed and sucked in a deep breath before pushing off the floor, dashing over the long carpet and towards the grand doors. "The exit's gotta be this way." True enough, well on the other side of the heavy doors, he found himself standing in the first room of the castle. He was standing by the rail of a great staircase, apparently on the fourth floor. From where he stood, he could see the exit, and without wasting precious seconds dragging his feet down every step of the stairs, he leaped right over the rail.

The archer's legs only mildly protested when he landed on the second floor. Now, only a set of straight stairs lay between him and freedom. He sprang forward, taking three stairs down at the time and raced towards the door, but his triumph was quickly replaced with stress when he found the doors were locked. "You've got to be kidding..!"

He slammed his fist into the door and let a colorful curse roll off his tongue. "You think you can trap me, bastard?" he growled and took a few steps back only to lunge himself at the door again, his shoulder slamming against the hard material to no result. "_Open_!"

"You really shouldn't shout like that while trying to escape."

Roa flinched and whirled around, grounding his teeth together when he saw Rishley standing at the top of the stairs, two angels standing by his sides. The men were identical, down to the way they cut their dark hair, but while one was dressed completely in black, the other was dressed in white. The one in black was equipped with two bullwhips, while the one in white was holding onto two ornate hand fans.

"You can't keep me here, Rishley," Roa spat out, desperately trying to push down the door handles behind his back. "I'm never gonna do what you tell me to!"

"As I thought," Rishley mused. "That's why my companions here are going to persuade you. I introduce you to my right hand man, Mister Black, and Mister White, my left hand. My precious assassins."

As soon as their names had been called, the twins leaped over the rail and sprinted towards Roa, who had less than one second to decide how he should handle this fight, where he was clearly overpowered. "I'm not going down without a fight!" he snarled and propelled forward, baring his teeth as he saw the mild surprise on Mister Black's face. The angel had apparently not expected anyone to be so stupid as to charge unarmed straight into the line of fire.

"Ridiculous," he muttered and swung one of his whips, his target Roa's left eye. A split second before it would've hit, the archer leaped to the side, his eyes widening when the whiplash cut off several strands of his hair, along with a very noticeable tear in the velvet carpet.

"That's not your everyday whip," he grumbled and braced himself to attack mister Black, but a looming presence behind him made him whirl around, giving him just enough time to parry one of Mister White's fans. The material of the object felt rough against his skin, and when he used his right hand to push it off his arm, it slashed open a deep cut in his palm. "The hell..?"

"Don't make the mistake of thinking you're on the Blue Sea anymore, boy!" Rishley called from his place on top of the stairs. "This is Skypiea! A far more dangerous place!"

His words made an involuntary bark of laughter bubble past Roa's lips. "You think you know anything about Grand Line?" he asked loudly. "The day I admit there's something more dangerous than that sea will be the day I die!" In time with his last word, the archer lunged forward, clenched his bleeding hand into a fist, and released a roar as he punched Mister White in the cheek.

The blow sent the angel stumbling back, and Roa fisted the collar of his jacket before he could set a safe distance between them. "The sky doesn't scare me," he hissed and braced his right hand to strike Mister White again, but before he got the chance, the end of Mister Black's whip locked around his wrist and pulled him back.

"All alone, you cannot win," the angel said monotonously, sounding almost bored. "No Blue Sea Dweller can win against us."

"I might be standing here by myself," Roa snapped and twisted his arm so the whip rolled around his wrist a few more times. "As long as my friends are alive, I'm not alone!" He widened his stance and grabbed hold of the whip with both hands, and without giving Mister Black time to react, he tugged the string backwards, making the angel stumble forward. Quick as a lizard, Roa released the whip and stepped forward, his right knee shooting up and smashing against Mister Black's chin.

The angel dropped to a knee and coughed, and Roa took the opportunity to untangle his right arm from the whip's knot. The cut in his hand was seeping, but he chose to ignore the pain and quickly wiped off the smeared blood on his pants. "After telling me I can't beat you, this is all you've got?" he demanded. "You're not fighting seriously!"

"Of course they're not," Rishley said and chuckled darkly. "They're toying with you like a cloud fox toys with a sky rat before eating it. But if you want them to go all out..." He cleared his throat and adapted a serious expression. "As long as he'll still be alive, you can do whatever you want, my angels."

Instantly, Mister Black and White were back on their feet, looking as if nothing had happened. Mister White only rolled his shoulders and flapped open both of his fans, and Mister Black tentatively clicked his teeth together, showing no signs of pain. "You're better against weapons," he sighed and reached for his second whip. "I'll start, you finish."

"Fine by me."

Before Roa could even raise his arms, Mister Black spun around on the heel and burst forward, his whips propelling like a windmill at high speed. The archer had little time to dodge, and a strangled grunt rolled past his teeth when one of the whips connected with his collarbone. It stung worse than if he'd been cut with a knife, but he quickly recovered and threw himself to the side, safely out of range from the whips' reach

His throat burned, but he swallowed repeatedly and stood up straight, using his bloodied hand to brush his hair from his face. This was the exact reason he always kept it set into the braid; once loose, there was no controlling it, and it'd fall over his eyes and block his vision. "Okay, come at me," he mumbled as he watched Mister Black prepare to perform the same attack once more. "The same attack won't work twice!"

Just as the angel spun around, Roa dove forward, performing a somersault on the floor to close the distant between him and Mister Black, and using the momentum of his roll, he braced his hands flat against the ground and smashed his heel into the angel's shoulder.

"Useless," Mister Black said loudly. He dropped one of his whips, bent down and locked his free hand around Roa's throat, a menacing scowl on his face as he pulled the archer into a standing position. "Unarmed, you don't stand a chance." He released Roa, only to instantly swing his whip again. The string rolled around the archer's wrist, and in the blink of an eye, Mister Black had moved around him and tied both of his arms together behind his back.

"Son of a-"

"Your turn, White," Mister Black said and grabbed a firm hold of Roa's left arm, preventing him from moving either back of forward. "Ten times should do it."

His twin, who'd been silently watching the fight now stepped forward and flipped one of his fans so the grip was facing the floor. "Ten times it is," he said. He didn't stop until he was standing directly in front of Roa, and with a hint of curiosity in his eyes, he raised his hand, holding the fan as a knife.

As if in slow motion, Roa watched the fan descend upon his skin, and he barely had time to brace himself for whatever was to come when the grip connected with his chest. And he felt absolutely no pain. Apart from the punch to his skin, there had been no additional force. He inhaled deeply to stabilize his thundering heart, but just as he was about to exhale again, Mister White's lips parted and he spoke one single word.

"Impact."

An invisible force blasted against Roa's chest, the blow strong enough to knock the air out of his lungs. A current of explosions traveled throughout his body, setting fire to every single cell. He released a gasp of shock-mixed pain and tried to step back, but Mister Black's grip held him in place. "Nine more to go," the angel said, and Roa had barely enough time to catch his breath before Mister White struck his chest again, and a new blast made his insides contract.

By the time the ten impacts had been dealt, Roa was barely conscious. He was still standing, miraculously enough. Mister Black hadn't released his grip yet, and the archer had lost all feeling in his left arm long ago. His body ached, his head throbbed, but he refused to give in to the temptation of unconsciousness. Instead, he kept his eyes fixated on Rishley with as much murderous intent as he could muster. The angel calmly returned his glare as he moved down the stairs, taking his sweet time to walk over to the three.

"I'm impressed," he said and tilted his head to the side as he studied Roa's bruised chest. "Most would be half-dead by now. Unconscious, at least."

"A-am I... am I supposed to be happy... to hear that?" the archer managed to hiss. "'S it su-supposed to warm my heart? Really... it really doesn't."

Rishley released a bark of laughter, one that made Roa's insides churn in anger. "Luckily, it wasn't my intention at all," he said gleefully. "No, what I want to know now is if you've changed your mind about assisting me yet."

A few moments of silence passed while Roa sucked in a deep breath and straightened his back, the motion making him wince. "How the hell are you an angel," he growled, his voice guttural. "As far as I can tell, you look more like a devil to me." Rishley's expression morphed into one of offense, and a grin spread over the archer's lips. "The damned sky doesn't scare me, Rishley," he said slowly. "_You_...don't scare me."

Rage took over the angel's features, and his reaction extracted a chuckle from Roa. The sound quickly turned into a series of coughs, and the archer's grin turned into a scowl as he spat out a lump of blood onto the carpet in front of Rishley. That was all he could do before the angel took a step forward and slammed his fist into Roa's chest.

A pained howl passed the archer's lips as he felt several of his ribs crack. The sound of bones breaking echoed throughout his body like a gunshot, and if Mister Black wouldn't have been holding onto his arm, he would've fallen backwards, and he would most likely not have been able to stand up again.

"Bring him to the observation room," Rishley snarled and whirled around, growling under his breath as he moved towards the grand staircase.

"You've really got a death wish," Mister White stated when he grabbed Roa's other arm and started dragging him after Rishley together with Mister Black. "You should start watching what you say, or you'll be quick to die."

"That's how you live up here?" Roa grunted, hissing as he tried and failed to take a step on his own. "Then I... then I feel sorry for you. Where I come from, I can say whatever the hell I want. I'm _free_." Despite the pain in his lungs, he released another dry chuckle. "I used to think birds had the most freedom," he spat out, blinking roughly to clear the blurs in his vision. "They had the whole damn sky to themselves. But lookin' at you... shit, I've never been so wrong, have I?"

He could practically feel the two angels' rage-mixed offense, but neither of them did anything. They dragged him up the stairs to the third floor and into a poorly-lit hallway, where several portraits hung along the walls, and Roa noticed all of them recognized Trinite in some way. He saw the same hair, the same eyes, the same facial structures. _His family_, the archer thought. _Previous kings of Skypiea_.

They moved through a door at the very end of the hall, and Roa sighed in relief when they stopped moving. He was slowly but surely getting more and more tempted to close his eyes and drift off, but at the sight of a large monitor hovering in mid-air in the room, he blinked away all such thoughts and craned his head to see better. "What..."

"Ah, yes." Rishley was standing directly below the monitor, holding up a large conch. The seashell itself seemed to be projecting the image, but the picture was only showing a stream of blue color. "I'm sure you recognize this view?" the angel asked.

"The sea," Roa mumbled instantly, and Rishley chortled at his reaction.

"The sea," he repeated and nodded. "See, using this Dial, I can monitor any area I want. I just need this Dial's twin to be in the hands of someone else, and then I can see what they see. I gave the other Dial to a member of the Flying Waver Squad, and he's in the process of tracking down..." He interrupted his sentence when a ship appeared in the middle of the monitor, seen from a great distance. "Tracking down _them_," he finished with a spiteful grin.

All air seemed to leave Roa's already numb lungs as he easily recognized the ship. "Atlas," he breathed out, his jaw clenching when Rishley released a booming laughter. "What the hell are you planning, bastard," the archer growled.

"To get you to cooperate," the angel said matter-of-factly. "That has been my plan all along." He paused to raise another seashell to his lips. "I need a better picture of the deck," he said, and instantly, the monitor zoomed in on Atlas' deck, and Roa's heart did a somersault when he saw Atalaya standing in the middle of the deck, his bow strapped around her chest.

She was speaking with Kitsune, pointing to the port side of the ship and shaking her head. Not far from her, halfway up the main mast, Roa could see large wings, which meant Fell was hanging from the mast. Lance was nowhere to be seen.

Neither was Trinite.

"They're completely off guard," Rishley said darkly. "Now, let me direct your attention to the monitor to your right."

Very reluctantly, Roa tore his eyes off the screen showing his comrades and focused on the other image, and he pulled his eyebrows into a scowl when he saw a large, cannon-like object emerging from fluffy clouds, the chase pointing straight down. "The hell's that?" the archer asked.

"_That_ is what I'd like to call 'the Sky's Redemption'," Rishley said, the pride in his voice poorly hidden. "The strongest of all weapons created in a _very_ long time. One blast can wipe out an entire island." A toothy grin stretched his lips at the sight of Roa's mortified expression. "Do you see where I'm going with this?" the angel asked, but he went on without waiting for an answer. "At this very moment, your _friends_," he nodded towards the first screen, "are located directly below the Sky's Redemption. So if you do not do as I say, I'll blast them away. All four of them, plus that beast, will die in an instant. However, if you agree to do as I say, I'll call back my scout and leave your friends in peace."

"You son of a..." Roa's sentence trailed off, but he made sure to not show his surprise on his face. _All four of them_, he thought. _With me, we're four plus Fell, so..._ He dared to throw a glance at the first monitor, and his eyes widened one millimeter when he saw Lance had appeared on deck, together with someone Roa thought seemed vaguely familiar.

The man was dressed in a dark suit that seemed to be too small for his shoulders. He wore a thick scarf around his neck, one that covered his chin and hid his long hair, and a wool cap had been pressed down over his blonde locks.

Roa almost choked on his breath when he realized he was staring at Trinite, disguised. The suit was barely keeping his wings hidden, and his hair must've been tucked in beneath the jacket. However, if Roa hadn't known he was an angel, he wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.

He quickly looked away when he realized Rishley was watching him intently, searching his face for an answer. "Well?" the angel demanded, impatient.

_There's no choice_, Roa thought and ground his teeth together. _I'll have to play by this bastard's rules until_... He had no idea what he was expecting to happen, he only knew what would happen if he'd refuse. Defeated, he sucked in a deep breath before asking, "What do you want me to do?".

**xxxxxxxxxx**

"Oi, sweetheart. Would ya mind gettin' beasty here off my back? 'S startin' ta annoy."

An amused chortle bubbled past Atalaya's lips as she watched Fell try her best to stay attached to Kitsune's shoulders. With Roa gone, his hair along with him, the swordsman's silvery strands were apparently the only thing that could fill the void in the dragon's life, and no matter how much Kitsune tried to shake her off, Fell would only grab on tighter.

"I don't think I will," Atalaya said, for once sounding more smug than the swordsman. "She needs someone to climb on, and since Roa's absent at the moment, _you_'re gonna act as her substitute. Plus, it's entertaining to watch you struggle like that. Quite the rare sight."

Kitsune's smile grew wider and he parted his lips to speak, but before he got the chance to produce any sounds, Fell climbed up onto his head and started clawing at his hair. The act itself was harmless, but it was more than enough to irritate the swordsman. "If ya wanna live ta see tomorrow, beasty, ya really should-"

"We're finished, captain!"

Atalaya turned her back to Kitsune and grinned widely as she watched Trinite exit Lance's workshop, dressed in a dark grey suit and matching pants. A silk scarf had been wrapped several times around his neck, almost suffocating him at the front, but covering all signs of blonde hair in the back. The sole function of the hat on his head was to hide the antenna-shaped hairstyle, that was apparently very popular among angels.

"How's the jacket, Trinite?" Atalaya asked tantalizingly when Trinite had stepped down onto deck. He kept squirming, trying his best to adjust to having his wings stuffed into such snug clothing.

"Uncomfortable," the angel groaned. "But as long as my wings don't show, I will not complain." He reached inside his jacket and strode up to Atalaya to hand her the blue seashell he'd shown her earlier. "Whenever you're ready to go, use this," he said.

Atalaya couldn't help but feel slightly ridiculous as she stared down at the conch. It was barely larger than her hand, and it certainly didn't look like something that could carry an entire ship up into the sky. "You absolutely sure this is gonna work?" When Trinite only tilted his head to the side, eyebrows raised in expectation, she added, "This thing's gonna be able to carry Atlas up to Skypiea?".

"Not the Dial itself," the angel said and shook his head at the ridiculous thought. "Like I said, it contains a balloon large enough to carry the ship. Trust me."

"It's not that I don't trust you, but... c'mon, this thing's barely bigger than my hand!" Atalaya passed the seashell to Lance, who studied it with deep interest. "I won't believe it until I see it."

"Then it's high time I show you what it's capable of."

Trinite snatched the conch from Lance's hands and sneaked two fingers into the seashell mouth, and Atalaya's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as he pulled out a long and sturdy-looking wire. "Attach this to the back of the ship," the angel said casually and handed the wire to Lance, who stood rooted to the spot, completely awestruck.

When Trinite extracted another wire end from the conch, Atalaya had to roughly shake her head to get over her shock. "Should I... should I attach it to the front?" she asked and held the wire as if holding something burning.

"Yes, but the wire must pass over the main sails," the angel said and tilted his head back. "If the wires are caught anywhere when the balloon starts rising, the wires might either snap or breath whatever obstacle that stands in its way."

"Right... okay."

Ten minutes later found Trinite and Atalaya standing up by the crow's nest, holding up the blue seashell and waiting to release it. Four wires had been securely tied to all sides of Atlas, they had carried the heaters Lance had built for Fell back when she was an egg up into the crow's nest and angled them aim the heat to flow straight up, towards where the balloon's opening would be.

"You sure this is gonna work?" Atalaya asked for the third time now. "I mean-"

"Trust me, it'll work," Trinite interrupted, an exasperated smile on his lips as he held out the conch to Atalaya. "Come on. As the captain of the ship, it should be you who send us into the air."

"Uh, sure." She grabbed the shell and pressed her lips together to stop herself from once again asking the same question. "Okay, here goes," she said and raised the shell over her head, and after sucking in a deep breath, she pressed down the top of the conch.

Atalaya almost lost her balance as an endless large wave of a blue material welled forth from the seashell's mouth. It rose higher and higher, forming an enormous sphere above Atlas, growing and growing until the texture threatened to explode. "I think it's gonna blow," Atalaya said loudly, furrowing her brow when Trinite released an amused chuckle.

"No need to panic," he said and raised his hand to replace Atalaya's grip on the shell. "Can you turn up the temperature of those heaters? The balloon need plenty of warm air to carry the ship."

"Yeah, I'll..." Atalaya's voice trailed off as she reluctantly sneaked her hand into the midst of the heaters, the searing hot air instantly causing beads of sweat to break out all over her skin. She quickly twisted the levers of each heater to ease the pressure on the embers. The coal crackled once, twice before flaring up, sending long blazes up towards the balloon.

"And now I'll just..!" Without finishing his sentence, Trinite twisted the conch and roughly pulled it down towards the topgallant, grinning as the balloon broke off the shell's mouth. "Okay, now we need to get down quickly," he said and braced himself to climb down the main mast. "The ship's going to get a little unbalanced once we're in the air."

Instead of wasting seconds on climbing, Atalaya let herself fall forward, urging thick fur to cover her hands and feet. She landed on all four on the deck and instantly jumped to her feet to get a good look at how the balloon looked from underneath.

"_This_ will carry Atlas up to Skypiea?" Lance wondered, a hint of disbelief in his voice as he observed the balloon. "I'm not entirely convin-"

His sentence was cut off when Atlas was pulled backwards, the movement so sudden and sharp it made the unprepared shipwright stumble forward. "What on earth-" The rest of his words died in his throat as he looked out over the ship rail only to see they were slowly but surely rising, floating further and further away from the ocean surface.

"Ya should see yer faces," Kitsune chortled, seemingly amused to no ends by the shocked state of both Lance and Atalaya. "Yer really that surprised? The antenna guy told ya from the start what was gonna happen, ya know. Oi," he added and rolled his shoulder in attempt to make Fell stumble. "Go drool over the view instead 'a clingin' ta me, beasty."

The dragon offered him an accusing glare and a hiss, but finally did as told. She leaped down from his shoulder and trotted over to the figurehead, climbed up on it and sat down to enjoy the view.

"C'mon, _look_ at this!" Atalaya ignored the swordsman's smug tone and hurried over to the rail so she could get a proper look as they rose higher through the air. "This is pretty cool," she breathed out.

"As I said." Trinite stepped out onto open deck and clapped his hands together. "You're probably thinking we'll reach Skypiea in no time, but please try to not get ahead of yourself," he said, sounding almost apologetic. "This is a slow method of traveling, and it'll be several hours before we reach the clouds."

Atalaya shot a glance at him from over her shoulder. "I know," she said and smiled. "But we're still on our way. On our way to get Roa back." She turned her attention back to the view, and her smile turned stiff when she mumbled, "You'd better be okay.".

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Roa ground his teeth together, determined to not let anyone hear even the slightest gasp of pain as his chest throbbed repeatedly. He was following Rishley down a long set of stairs, clutching to the railing to make sure he didn't lose his footing and fall. Both Mister Black and Mister White were walking behind him, and he would never grant them the satisfaction of having to catch him.

After having agreed to play part in the angel's plot, the archer had been ordered to accompany Rishley down below the castle, to where the cannon was located. "I had this hall dug out ten years ago," the angel said, boasting. "Every step has been carved out and shaped by the hands of my men, and so each step is a reminder of our goal."

"I don't give a shit," Roa hissed, wincing as a stinging pain shot through his chest. "Let's make one thing damn clear, bastard. Just because I agreed to play along your game, that doesn't mean that I'm your _ally_ or _companion_, so stop making me have to listen to your crap. 'S pissing me off."

Rishley released a loud bark of laughter and complied, but not before raising his left hand. The motion was swiftly followed by a sharp kick directly between Roa's shoulder blades. The archer exclaimed and quickly tightened his grip on the rail to keep himself upright, and he inhaled deeply a few times before turning around and glaring at Mister Black, who was standing a few steps up the stairs, his right leg still in the air.

"Oops. My foot slipped," the angel said, amusement hiding behind his monotonous voice. He arched an eyebrow in expectation as he returned Roa's glare, as if wanting to see how the archer would pay him back for the abuse.

"Careful so you don't fall," Roa snapped and turned back to resume descending the stairs. "If you drop down these stairs, you could get seriously injured. Would be a damn shame if, I dunno, you happened to break your neck and die."

The corner of the angel's lips curled up ever so slightly, and he shook his head before stating, "You sound a little too hopeful.". Roa parted his lips to give a sour retort, but he knew it wouldn't serve to do more than amuse his escorts. And since his lungs burned in pain with every spoken word, he chose to remain silent.

They kept moving for a good five more minutes, during which Roa lost count of how many steps they'd taken into vast insides of Skypiea's base. The tunnel was simple, clearly dug out in a haste, lit up by an occasional glowing seashell.

"We're here."

Having reached the end of the stairs, Roa narrowed his eyes as he found himself face to face with a compact door, made of the same material as the bars in his prison cell. He watched as Rishley pulled out a large key from his robes and unlocked the door, and an involuntary gasp escaped the archer's lips when the doors had been fully opened.

They had descended all the way to the bottom of the large cloud on which Skypiea rested. From where he was standing, Roa could see the ocean, several kilometers below him, and he scowled as he imagined Trinite falling into the sea from this height.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Rishley asked, and it wasn't until Roa turned to glare at the angel that he realized they had arrived at the interior of the Sky's Redemption. A large, horizontally turned wheel had been raised in the middle of the room, and its handles indicated it was clearly meant to be turned manually. "This is where my masterpiece is charged up," Rishley said and raised a hand to stroke the wheel. "Working this wheel builds up the pressure in the cannon, readying a blast powerful enough to wipe out an entire island."

Roa's eyes traced the wheel, narrowing as they landed on the handles. The device was large enough to require tens, maybe hundreds of people to charge up the cannon. "So what do you want me to do?" he asked, snorting before sarcastically adding, "Want me to push it all by myself?"

The angel released another gleeful laughter. "I'm impressed you've still got enough spirit to joke in a situation like this," he said. "Perhaps you Blue Sea Dwellers are more courageous than I've always thought."

"Yeah, yeah, skip the fake flattery," Roa snapped and clicked his teeth together. "What do you want me to do?"

"So eager." Rishley chuckled under his breath before tapping his right index finger to the large wheel. "As you've already figured out, I want this to be charged," he said. "But I don't have enough men to do so, and I don't have the authority to order the angels of Skypiea to come here and work. But you-"

"But Trinite does," Roa interrupted, his expression darkening as he now fully understood what Rishley was after. "You want me, disguised as Trinite, to tell all men of Skypiea to come work for you to charge this machine up. And after that, what are you gonna do?"

"I'm going to remind every last Blue Sea Dweller of our existence," the angel said coldly, his demeanor suddenly shifting from gleeful to menacing. "They have ignored us for uncountable years, and now..." He paused to release a snort of dark amusement. "The world was created by those who lived in the skies," he said. "Thus it is only right they pay the price for their insolence towards us!"

Roa's eyes widened in mortification at the hidden intention behind Rishley's words. "You're gonna destroy islands with that cannon," he stated breathlessly, a growl working its way from the back of his throat as the angel's smile widened. "You want me to give the order to destroy my own homeland."

For the third time, Rishley released a bark of laughter, but this one was cold, on the verge of maniacal. "Indeed!" he said loudly and threw his arms out to the sides. "The fate of your world is in your own hands, and the only thing you can do is choose to let it be erased!" He sucked in a deep breath and adapted a serious expression. "How sad you must be," he said, not even a shred of empathy in his voice.

He waited for Roa to respond, but the archer was too stunned to speak, so he turned to his lackeys instead. "Take him to Trinite's room," Rishley said. "Send someone to treat his wounds and let him rest until the evening. I'll send out the word that prince Trinite has summoned all angels to the castle."

**xxxxxxxxxx**

"So, Trinite." They'd been in the air for barely half an hour, and after the initial shock of actually flying, Atalaya had moved over to the base of the figurehead, standing with her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes never leaving the vast skies above them. She kept rolling her shoulders over and over, as if to make sure Roa's bow was still securely attached to her back. "What exactly does Rishley want you to do?" she asked. "And what does Roa have to do with it?

The angel furrowed his brow, unsure how to respond in a way that wouldn't seem too diabolical. He was seated on the ship rail, and he was glad he was facing Atalaya's back; he wouldn't have been able to tell her directly face to face. "He wants to destroy the islands of this sea," he said slowly. "He has built a weapon large enough to wipe out an entire country with just one shot, but..."

"But?"

"But he needs the angels of Skypiea to power it up," Trinite went on. "And he himself can't give that order, but I... I mean, Roa..."

His voice trailed off, and Atalaya finally tore her gaze off the sky when she realized what the angel was trying to say. "Roa's gonna give the order instead of you," she stated, her eyes widening as Trinite nodded. "Because he looks like you, Rishley can use him to summon the angels."

"He'll be forced to behead his own world," the angel said and ground his teeth together. "The cruelty of what Rishley demanded from _me_ are _nothing_ compared to the cruelty of what he's demanding from Roa. If I would've agreed, I'd only be giving the order to destroy a land I'm unfamiliar with, but Roa..."

"I highly doubt the charlatan would agree to such a demand," Lance, who'd been silent up until now, said. "His stubbornness is one of a kind, and, as much as I hate to admit it, in a situation like this, that trait could prove to be this sea's salvation."

"Rishley will stop at nothing to get this plan to work," Trinite argued, his tone becoming more and more agitated. "He'll threaten to kill Roa if he doesn't comply."

"Even so, he would not-"

"Then he'll convince him some other way!" Both Atalaya and Lance arched an eyebrow in surprise at the angel's outburst, and even Trinite himself sighed as he realized he'd lost his temper. "Forgive me," he said and shook his head, his eyes glued to his feet. "It's just important you understand how serious Rishley is about this."

A brief silence followed his words, and not until Atalaya released a muffled sigh did Trinite look up at her. "You sure he's really an angel?" she asked. "He sounds more like a... I don't know, like a-"

"Like a pirate?"

Atalaya scoffed and looked over her shoulder to see Kitsune sitting on the ship rail opposite of Trinite. He'd been perfectly still as he followed the conversation under silence, only turning his head now and then to sneer at Fell to warn her from stepping too close.

"Call 'em what ya will, but ya gotta admit, sweetheart, the angel yer talkin' 'bout sounds more an' more like a pirate," he jingled, his smirk widening at the sight of Trinite's confused expression. "How long do we still gotta wait, antenna-head? I'm gettin' bored."

Although clearly offended by the given nickname, Trinite raised his voice to say, "Several hours.". His eyes narrowed even further as the swordsman only sighed at his words. "Aren't you-"

"He's not," Atalaya interrupted and rolled her shoulders for the umpteenth time. "Worried, I mean," she added as the angel quirked an eyebrow at her. "He's weird that way, not really caring about anybody else than himself."

"A-aha..."

"Ya make me sound so horrible," Kitsune said in mock offense. "'Sides, 's not like yer gonna get there any faster if ya worry. Just makes ya all antsy. Yer a perfect example fer that, sweetheart."

"I'm not _antsy_," Atalaya snapped.

"Tell that ta yer face."

Before she got a chance to respond, Lance audibly cleared his throat to get her attention. "If you'll pardon me," he said. "I shall withdraw to my workshop. There are a few things I'd like to prepare before we reach our destination."

"Like what?" Atalaya wondered, momentarily forgetting her sour reply to Kitsune's comment.

"Precautions, captain, precautions."

Without explaining further, the shipwright offered her a slight bow of the head and strode over the deck towards his workshop. "That's good, I suppose," Atalaya hummed and glanced up towards the sky. "Is there any faster way to reach Skypiea?"

"There are a few ways," Trinite said. "But not only are we far out of range to try any of them, they are also exceedingly more dangerous."

"I'd gladly try all of them at once, as long as we get to Roa on time before anything can happen."

The angel's eyes widened slightly, more in disbelief than anything else. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't figure out Atalaya's attitude, how she could be so calm knowing she was about to stand up against a person like Rishley. "You..." Trinite cleared his throat when Atalaya looked at him with eyebrows quirked. "You do realize what's going to happen once we get up there?" he asked carefully. "I mean, you already said you'd take Rishley down, but I don't think you fully understand just what that means."

Somewhat surprised, Atalaya observed him for a few seconds before sighing and taking a seat in front of him. "I'm very well aware of what we're going up against," she said and tilted her head to the side as she looked at the angel. "While sailing on the Grand Line, you're dead if you don't know better than to underestimate your enemies. But right now, my main goal isn't even Rishley. In fact, he's not even a _little_ important compared to getting Roa back."

When Trinite still looked unconvinced, she added, "I won't have any regrets if I die fighting Rishley as long as I know my crew is safe, and-" She cut off her sentence when she felt Roa's bow moving against her shoulder, and she turned around to find Fell in the process of trying to grab hold of the weapon. She glared up at Atalaya and hissed as she clenched her blunt fangs around the bow and tugged.

"You could just ask, you know," Atalaya snorted and pulled the string over her head so the bow came loose. "If you drop it over the rail, you'll go get it yourself."

Fell grumbled as if she wanted to say there was no way she'd do anything so stupid, and with Roa's bow between her teeth, she hurried away towards the main mast. "I'm sure you, too, have felt the need to protect something," Atalaya said and turned back to Trinite. "Be it your family, your homeland, if you really think about it, my words shouldn't really surprise you."

"I..." The angel looked surprised, almost thrown off guard as he considered her words. "When you put it like that, I think I understand," he said quietly. "I mean, I'm expected to rule over an entire kingdom, I'm expected to keep the people of Skypiea happy and at peace. I don't really know what kind of vision you have of angels..." He paused to chuckle softly. "But we have our own problems amongst us. And I... well, I know perfect peace will never reign, but I would give up my wings for the next best thing."

A wide grin stretched Atalaya's lips and she nodded. "There you go," she said. "And you shouldn't say never. Everything has a price, but nothing's impossible."

"Yer soundin' like a poor excuse of a poet, sweetheart."

A sour expression settled onto Atalaya's face as she was reminded of Kitsune's presence. "Way to ruin the mood, idiot," she growled and leaned back to shoot the swordsman an upside-down glare. "Can't you ever let me say something encouraging without having to comment?"

"A'course I could," Kitsune sang. "But that ain't no fun."

"Everything doesn't have to be _fun_ all the time."

"If it ain't fun, 's borin', and if I can avoid bein' bored by messin' with ya, take a guess at what I'm gonna do, sweetheart."

A deep sigh gusted past Atalaya's lips as she stood up straight. "Excuse me while I go entertain this idiot," she said and, much to Trinite's shock, offered him a toothy grin, showing off a set of sharp fangs and canines that reached down over her chin. "Like a kid, he craves constant attention."

"But... I mean, you're... what happened to your teeth?" the angel managed to press out, goosebumps breaking out over his arms as he saw Atalaya's nails had been replaced by sharp claws, and a short layer of fur had sprouted on the back of her arms. "You... what _are_ you? I though you were human! Not some kind of... _beast_!"

Surprised over Trinite's reaction, Atalaya couldn't help but chime in with Kitsune's amused laughter. "I _am_ a human," she chuckled once she'd sobered up enough. "If you don't know what an ability is..." She paused to offer him a supposedly reassuring smile, but its intention was lost as it only served to make her appear even more feral. "It's too hard to explain, so let's say this is my confidence."

"Your _what_?" Trinite demanded, but Atalaya had already turned her back to him and sprinted over to Kitsune to engage in a seemingly friendly spar. "O-okay," the angel mumbled to himself. "No need to panic, right..? This must be one of those abilities I've read about, those described in the library's books... though I never actually thought I'd get to see one for real..."

It took Trinite three whole hours to get used to the fact that Atalaya was able to sprout fur and a tail at will. She found his reactions so amusing, she couldn't help but urge her animalistic features to grow whenever the angel least expected it, jumping out and scaring the daylights out of Trinite whenever she got the chance.

After they'd eaten, Atalaya had returned to her spot by the figurehead to once again glare up at the sky. By now, the sun had already started setting, turning the sky around them into a deep orange color, making it seem like they were bathed in fire.

"It's not long now." Trinite stepped up behind Atalaya and glanced up at the sky as well. "Before we reach Skypiea, I mean," he said.

"And before we get to see Roa," Atalaya added, somewhat snappishly. "And return you home. And give Rishley what he deserves."

Surprised at her tone, the angel tilted his head to the side before asking, "Are you nervous?", but he got his answer half a second later when Atalaya turned around, a feral grin on her lips. Her eyes reflected the setting sun, making it look like her irises were on fire.

"Excited," she said, her voice a deep growl. "In addition to all I just said, I get to see a new land, a place I didn't know exist. Fill in a blank on my map." She chuckled, and Trinite's eyes widened at how light the tone was. "Are _you_ nervous?" she asked.

"Of course I am," he said instantly. "I've seen what Rishley's capable of, so I'd say my fear is perfectly rational."

"I never said it wasn't," Atalaya hummed and stepped past the angel. "I won't judge for who you fear, at least as long as you don't judge _me_ for who I _don't_ fear." She released a bark of laughter at her own statement and playfully punched Trinite's shoulder. "I'll go check on Lance," she said and steered her steps towards the workshop.

Ever since the shipwright had withdrawn to his workshop, he'd only come out to eat dinner. He'd simply stated he was working fervently on 'something that could come in handy', and refused to give more details before he was finished.

"How're you doing, La-_agh_!"

Just as Atalaya had been about to push down the door-handle, the door swung open and slammed into her forehead. "Captain!" She backed a few steps, hissing as she rubbed at her brow, and grin stretched her lips at sight of the shipwright's horrified expression. "I am terribly sorry!"

"My fault," she said and shook her head. "Forgot I should always... look out for doors opening at random."

The corner of Lance's lips twitched slightly at her sarcastic tone, and he cleared his throat before bowing his head slightly. "My apologies," he said. "I was on my way to inform you, I have completed my work." He slowly raised his hands, and Atalaya arched an eyebrow in curiosity as she saw he was propping an arrow between his fingers, holding it as lightly as one possibly could.

The arrow was made out of steel, the shaft sleek but with small rectangular holes to show off the countless wires inside the metallic pipe. The arrowhead was bigger than usual, but the tip none the less sharp. What looked like red gems decorated the point, and it ticked rhythmically like a clock. The feathers were authentic, and Atalaya's eyes widened when she recognized the blue color as the same hue as Lance's hat's peacock feathers. "What is-"

She reached out for the projectile, but Lance quickly backed a step, an stressed expression on his face. "Pardon me, captain," he said and nodded apologetically. "But with this arrow, you must be very careful. Should it go off in your hands, it would not only bring destruction to _you_. I estimate the entire Atlas would be written out of existence. So, as lightly as you can..."

His voice trailed off in concentration as he lowered the arrow into Atalaya's hands. She lifted it up to her eyes and studied it, a smile slowly stretching her lips. "Why an arrow?" she asked slyly, chuckling when the shipwright frowned. "C'mon, this type of weapon's meant for one man and one man only. Roa's the only one who could handle something like this."

"Do not misunderstand me, captain," Lance sighed and lowered his gaze to the floor. "This is my redemption. When I saw what had happened to Atlas during the night, I instantaneously blamed the charlatan. Which, I admit, was wrong of me. The obnoxious archer may use it or not, that is up to him, but through this, I can lift the guilt from my consciousness. 'Tis pure selfishness on my behalf."

"Of course," Atalaya snorted, somewhat sarcastically. "What about these feathers? Did they feel guilty as well?"

"That is-"

"I can see it! I can see Skypiea!"

Atalaya almost dropped the destructive arrow in shock, and she quickly passed it back to Lance before whirling around and bounding down the ladders. She dashed over to Trinite, skidding to a halt next to him. "Where?" she asked, her eyes traveling all over the night sky. "Where is it?"

"Right there," the angel said and raised a hand to point at a humongous mass of clouds directly in front of Atlas' figurehead. "That's my home."

Bathed in the red sun, the clouds looked more like liquid fire than anything else. They would still have to rise tens of meters to reach it, but at the speed they were floating, they would be at perfect height once they reached the clouds' edge.

"I can't see any buildings," Atalaya said and squinted her eyes in attempt to see better. "You sure that's it?"

Trinite swallowed a scoff and nodded. "I'm sure," he breathed out, his voice trembling with anticipation. "I'm certain I can recognize my own homeland."

Atalaya's lips curled up into a toothy grin. "Good," she growled and turned around on the heel. "Fell!" The dragon, claws buried halfway up the main mast, turned her yellow eyes to glare at Atalaya in suspicion. Roa's bow was securely locked in her jaw, her bite gentle enough to not damage the weapon. "Give that bow back to me for now," Atalaya said and raised her hand towards the dragon, sighing when all she got in return was a hiss. "Come on, you and I both know it's safer around my back than in your mouth. You can't fly properly with that!"

Fell only snorted, but that snort turned into a shrill cry when she felt a looming presence above her, and before she could even turn around, the bow was snatched away from her teeth. "Arguin' with blondie's pet ain't gonna get ya anywhere, sweetheart." Kitsune, who'd been seated on the topgallant, had climbed halfway down the main mast, and he now smirked smugly at the distressed dragon. "Sorry 'bout that, beastie," the swordsman jingled and tossed the bow down to Atalaya. "But 't would'a been too annoyin' ta watch the cap'n try ta make ya behave."

"Thanks for that," Atalaya huffed and strapped Roa's bow around her chest. She tentatively rolled her shoulder to adjust the weapon against her back before inhaling deeply. "Alright, you guys!" she said loudly and strode back out onto deck. "It won't be long before we land, so prepare yourselves for battle right away! Be ready to leave as soon as we touch the clouds!"

**xxxxxxxxxx**

"Here's a written copy of your speech."

Roa reluctantly snatched the piece of paper from Rishley's outstretched hand. The archer was standing on a short footstool, growing more and more irritated as three angels moved around him, making sure he looked presentable in front of the massive crowd he was only minutes away from facing.

"... 'Tis your duty to fulfill the wishes of me, Prince Trinite III of Skypiea'," he read out loud and released a scoff. "I'm not gonna say that."

"You'll say what I order you to say, or I'll-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, you'll use your damn cannon to hurt my friends," Roa interrupted and glared at Rishley with as much hatred as possible. "What I meant was, I'm not gonna call myself _prince_. I can introduce myself as Trinite, but as a pirate, I'd _never_ stoop so low as to call myself _prince_."

The angel released a bark of laughter and shook his head. "As you wish, _Trinite_," he chortled. "How's your chest?"

As if on command, Roa's chest throbbed, but the archer refused to show any signs of pain on his face. "As damn good as it'll ever be," he growled and straightened his back, clicking his tongue in irritation when he felt a comb slide through his hair. "You really have to put my hair up like his?" He nodded towards one of the angels who was busy making sure his robes were smooth enough. His hair was long in the back, but pulled into two antenna-like shapes on the top of his head.

"Of course," Rishley said. "Every angel in Skypiea wears it like that. And, after your hair is done..." He paused to pick up a tool similar to a straight razor and wiggled it in front of Roa's face. "We'll trim that little goatee off your chin."

"Wha- No chance in hell!" the archer said loudly and stepped down from the stool to put a safe distance between himself and Rishley. "No one's gonna trim _anything_ as long as I'm still breathing! I agreed to do this bit for you, and you can strap on the fake wings and put me in a damn _dress_, but I'm not gonna let you touch me with that thing!"

Again, Rishley released a bubbling laugh and dropped the razor back down onto the small table in front of the mirrors. "You're too fiery for your own good, Blue Sea Dweller," he snorted, and he was just about to continue speaking when someone knocked on the doors to the chambers. "What is it?"

The door opened and Mister Black stepped inside, the ghost of a spiteful smirk on his lips as his eyes traveled over Roa. "All guests are waiting in the throne room," he said. "Is he ready?"

Roa released a frustrated snarl and stomped over to the large mirrors to study his own appearance. His robes were white and red, with a high collar, long and loose sleeves, reaching all the way to his feet and lagging at the floor behind him. A pair of custom-made wings had been strapped to his shoulders, the binds hidden by his hair, which had been let loose. He groaned internally at how ridiculous he looked, particularly with a white crown resting around his antenna hairstyle.

"I feel really damn sorry for Trinite if this is what he has to wear every day," he grumbled and moved towards the door, stumbling several times on his own robes. "This is gonna be hell..."

**xxxxxxxxxx**

The very second Atlas was in reach of Skypiea's clouds, Atalaya leaped straight off the deck and onto the soft ground. "Turn off the heaters," she said loudly, her eyes wide as she looked around at the foreign scenery, but her impatience covered all awe she should've felt. "These clouds will hold the weight of the ship, right?"

"They will," Trinite said as he moved up to the ship rail and lowered himself into a sitting position. Lance had given him a heavily padded tube-like container with a shoulder strap, containing the highly dangerous explosive arrow, to hold onto in case the shipwright himself would be 'otherwise occupied'. With his tongue between his teeth, the angel hoisted the tube further up on his shoulder before sliding down along Atlas' side, and he exhaled sharply when he landed, immensely relieved when nothing out of the extraordinary happened. "Now, we should..."

His voice trailed off when his eyes landed on the city in front of them. It looked just like he remembered, with the exception that there was not a single light shining in any of the countless windows. "Something..." he mumbled, his expression unreadable, a mix between, confusion and fright. "Something's not right."

"I ain't seein' any angels, antenna-head." Kitsune had joined Trinite and Atalaya on the clouds, and his smile widened to new proportions as he tentatively stomped down on the clouds beneath his feet. "Feels kinda funny," he jingled. "We're really walkin' on clouds here, huh?"

Atalaya nodded absentmindedly and leaned forward, bending her knees until she was standing on all four, waiting for Lance to finish his work on the heaters that had given the balloon the strength to carry them. "You ready?" she asked quietly, chuckling silently when her question was answered by a sharp growl.

Fell had refused to release Roa's bow, even if it meant she had to sit on Atalaya's shoulders for now. The dragon clutched onto her jacket, growling every time she moved. "Not long now..."

Finally, after what seemed like half an hour, Lance jumped off Atlas's figurehead and took his stand next to Kitsune. "All ready," the shipwright said and pressed his hat down over his hair. "Atlas will be safe here."

"Perfect," Atalaya growled and braced herself against the ground. "Then let's get to the castle!" With that, she burst off the clouds, dashing towards the first houses of the city, her heart thundering with anticipation. "We're coming for you, Roa!"

**xxxxxxxxxx**

As if someone had turned all blood in his veins to ice, Roa stood completely still, a hint of panic quickly starting to spread to his senses. He was facing a heavy pair of doors, and he knew very well that what awaited him on the other side was the castle's throne room. He swallowed thickly, his throat suddenly dry as sand, and he cursed internally at his own stage right. "Just a few hundred angels," he muttered to himself. "What could go wrong?"

He ground his teeth together when he heard an amused chortle behind him, and he inhaled deeply through the nose before equipping a solemn expression and nodding. "Alright, let's get this over and done with," he snapped, instantly regretting his words when the doors slowly creaked open. He waited, his blood rushing through his body and making him far more irritated than usual, until the doors were fully opened and the throne room lay presented before his eyes.

He couldn't have counted all the angels even if he'd wanted to. The throne room had seemed so much smaller when he'd been in there last time, hiding away from Rishley, but now, he was shocked to see how many angels could fit inside the hall. The realization didn't help his state of mind at all.

Roa didn't realize he'd been standing still in the doorway until Rishley hissed, "Walk.", from behind him. The archer shook his head slightly and crumpled the speech in his right hand before stepping into the throne room.

A feeling of deep dismay settled into his gut as he watched every single angel drop to their knees and bow their heads before him as he walked down the isle and towards Trinite's throne. The angels didn't hesitate for even half a second before throwing themselves into the dirt in front of royalty, and Roa silently wondered why Trinite wanted to be someone everybody bowed before.

He was relieved to find he managed to walk all the way to the throne without stumbling on his robes even once. Once he'd reached the royal seat, he turned around, his scowl deepening at the sight of Rishley striding towards him, a triumphant smirk on the angel's lips. Mister Black and Mister White were walking behind him, both of them staring down at the ground.

Roa waited for Rishley to take his stand next to the throne, and he sent a murderous glare in the angel's direction before taking a step forward and inhaling deeply. "Angels of Skypiea," he called out, his nerves jumping when every single person in the room turned their full attention on him. He took a moment to search his mind for the exact words Rishley had written down for him, and when he spoke up again, his voice was much colder than usual. "It makes me glad to see all of you gathered here in such high spirits today, so eager to respond to my summon. I find myself struck speechless by your loyalty, your devotion."

He had to really focus to not roll his eyes or snort at the words that were coming out of his mouth. It had been a good long while since he'd last felt so ridiculous, and it didn't help that his broken ribs started aching again. He cleared his throat to buy some time before continuing.

"However, as we speak, there is also sadness in my mind," he said, making absolutely no attempt to act as if his words were true. "Any day now, I am supposed to take over the throne after my father, to rule over Skypiea with the same justice he did, and I will devote the whole of my heart to make sure I fulfill this task. But the-"

Roa suddenly cut off his own sentence and focused his eyes on the large doors, his eyebrows knitting together as he thought he heard a distant thud from the other side. No one else in the room seemed to have heard it, but he could've sworn the sound had come from the main hall outside the throne room. He momentarily forgot his position, and not until Rishley loudly cleared his throat did he snap back to reality.

"Sorry. Or my apologies," Roa said, though it sounded more like a sneer than an actual apology. He kept his eyes steadily focused on the door, his voice getting more and more strained. "But, uh... but there was a time, a time we do not remember, when the people of the Blue Sea worshipped us Skypieans for the holy beings we are. They sang songs about our cities, songs about our leaders and their people, they would shed tears of joy when honored with a visit to us. Yet somehow, this worship has vanished. Vanished and replaced by disbelief, by scorn. And this disbelief is what I want to erase."

Several of the angels nodded in agreement, oblivious to the terrible methods Rishley wanted to use to erase the disbelief. "But how does one move a mountain on his own?" Roa pressed on, the corner of his lips twitching as pain flared over his chest. _Just get through the damn speech!_ "How could I accomplish my goal without the help of my beloved people, the angels who so loyally trust in me and my family? And this is why I called you here tonight, to heed my request. I-"

Again, he interrupted himself when he heard a muffled shout from somewhere in the castle, and this time, the angels seemed to have noticed it as well. A low buzz of mumbles rose from the people, and Roa glanced over his shoulder and at Rishley, who looked irritated beyond belief. "I'm sure 'tis nothing to worry about, angels of Skypiea," he said loudly, and the mumbling instantly died down. "Now, let us listen to what the prince has to-"

The rest of his words were drowned by a shrill cry, this time loud enough to sound throughout the entire room. Roa's eyes widened at the familiarity of the sound, and just as he parted his lips and mumbled, "Fell...", the heavy doors to the throne room burst open, smashing into the walls with a bang that made them tremble.

A deafening silence echoed throughout the room as every single angel now stared at newly arrived party in complete shock. The person at the front of the group straightened up, head turning to take in the room, blazing orange eyes finally settling on Roa, who was too awestruck to even breathe. Slowly, a wide and feral grin stretched the intruder's lips apart, and she took a few steps forward down the aisle, sucking in a deep breath before raising her voice.

"Who here goes by the name Rishley?" she asked loudly, her dark tone making several angels back away. "Where is the angel everybody calls Rishley?"

Said angel took a few moments to stare out through the doors from which the intruding party had arrived, a ripple of anger running through his body as he saw all of his guards lying scattered on the floor, unconscious. Rishley parted his lips to demand the intruders' names, but before he got the chance, another beastly cry sounded throughout the room, and the angel barely got the time to duck down before a blur of green shot right past him and collided with Roa's chest.

"_Shit_, that _hurts_!" the archer exclaimed, practically feeling his ribs cracking again. The pain, however, seemed far more distant when he looked down at the small creature, who was snuggling into this neck, growling in delight. A subconscious smile graced Roa's lips as he raised a hand to stroke the dragon's back. "Good to see you too, Fell," he mumbled before turning his attention back to the intruders, completely ignoring Rishley's rapidly building anger. "How the hell did you get here, captain?"

Atalaya released a bark of laughter, relief shining through the bright tone. "He gave us a hand," she said and glanced over her shoulder and at Trinite, who looked just about ready to pass out of the joy of being back in his home. "We all came to get you back."

"Yes, we came all the way here to rescue you, oh radiant _princess_," Lance stated loudly, a smug smile on his lips as he scanned Roa's appearance from head to toe, his voice laced with poorly suppressed glee. "That _dress_ certainly suits you."

"I gotta agree on that, fancy pants," Kitsune jingled, breaking out into a hyena-like laughter when Roa sent them both a murderous glare. "Ya should see yerself, blondie. Yer lookin' pretty damn ridiculous."

The archer snarled in irritation and quickly reached up to tear the crown off his head and let down his hair, sighing as the pressure eased on his scalp. Without paying any attention to his surroundings, he reached behind himself and tore off the fake wings, to which the crowd of angels all gasped in unison. "What's going on, prince Trinite?!" one of the angels shouted.

"I'm not Trinite," Roa said loudly, growling as he tore off the sleeves to his robes. "Your _prince_ is standing over there by the damn door."

All eyes traveled from the archer to Trinite, who stepped further into the room, shedding his jacket to let his wings free and raising a hand to remove his hat and scarf to let his hair loose. "People of Skypiea, I understand your confusion, but it is essential you listen to me right now!" he called out. "I will explain everything later, but first, you all must-"

"_Stop talking_!"

Rishley had finally snapped out of his state of shock. He raised his arm to point at Trinite, eyes burning with rage and hate. "He's a fraud!" he shouted. "_That_ is _not_ Trinite, he's a-"

Before he could tell the angel what exactly Trinite was, Atalaya burst forward, crossing the aisle in a matter of seconds, snarling as she braced her right hand to strike. "So you're the one," she snarled and pushed off the ground, barely giving the angel time to react before smashing her fist into his cheek. "_You're_ the one who's behind all this!"

The impact sent Rishley flying into the wall, a pained exclaim working its way from his throat when he dropped to his knees. Mister Black and Mister White both drew their weapons, but as if she didn't even notice them, Atalaya leaned back and sucked in a deep breath, fur sprouting over her body and her teeth growing longer in the process. "_You're the one who's known as Rishley_?!" The words left her lips in an ear-shattering roar, a yell that made the windows rattle and the walls quiver as if threatening to collapse.

Too stunned to act, every single angel in the room stood completely still when Atalaya fell silent again. Mister Black and Mister White stared at her with eyes the size of dinner plates, but without paying them any heed, she turned on the heel and casually strode up to Roa. "I brought your bow," she said and grabbed the weapon from her shoulders. "Thought you might need it."

"Thanks, Atalay-_ngh_!" The archer winced when he reached out to grab the bow, the movement causing his chest to loudly protest by sending a fresh wave of pain throughout his entire body.

"What's wrong?" Atalaya asked and instantly stepped up next to Roa to support his weight, ignoring Fell's dismayed hiss. "What did they do to you?"

"Just a couple of broken ribs, captain," the archer snorted, somewhat weakly. "Was fine until Fell decided to charge straight into them, I think one of them are pressin' on my lung..." He coughed tentatively, instantly regretting the action when another sting of pain shot through his chest. "Yeah, pretty damn sure of it," he groaned.

"They broke your ribs..?" Atalaya turned to send a smoldering glare at Rishley's lackeys, of which the one dressed in white cautiously took a few steps back, while the one in black only tilted his head to the side, eyebrows arched in slight curiosity. "Alright, you think you can you fly?" Atalaya asked, waiting for Roa to nod before taking a step to the side and turning her attention to Fell. "Keep him close to Trinite, and don't let anyone get to him."

The dragon glared at her for a few seconds before crawling down over Roa's back and spreading her wings as far as they went. She waited, took a moment to nuzzle the archer's neck before starting to flap her wings, and that simple action jolted each and every angel in the room back to life, a terrified scream rising from somewhere in the crowd. "It's the devil!"

"Please remain calm, angels of Skypiea!" Trinite had marched out into the middle of the crowd and now stood with his arms raised over his head as he tried to calm the quickly rising chaos. "These are companions of mine, they are not to be feared!" he shouted, a wave of relief washing over him when he saw most of the angels turned their attention away from Roa and to him instead. "You've been deceived by Rishley, the late king's advisor, and a thorough investigation will be concocted, but now, I implore you to leave the castle as quickly as you can! 'Tis no longer safe to be here!"

"He's ruining sir Rishley's plans," Mister Black stated, his eyes still focused on Atalaya. "Stop him, Mister White."

His twin brother nodded and burst forward, unfolding his fans as he darted through the sea of moving angels. "Time to seal those lips of yours, foolish prince," he growled when Trinite appeared in his line of sight, and he didn't even bother breaking speed as he raised the fan in his right hand.

Trinite didn't notice Mister White until he was right next to him, the sharp leaves braced to strike, and the blonde angel barely had time to even raise his hands to shield his face before the fan descended towards his front. Trinite screwed his eyes shut in attempt to prepare himself for the incoming pain, but before he could even begin to brace himself, he was roughly shoved to the side, causing him to lose his footing and topple over.

"Wha-"

His blinked in confusion and sat up straight, his eyes widening as he stared at Lance, who was standing over him, trench knives raised to parry Mister White's hand fans. "Pardon me, sir Trinite," the shipwright said and, despite his position, he looked over his shoulder and nodded his head in an apologetic gesture. "It was not in my intentions to make you fall, but I had little time to waste, and this was the only way I could think of to spare you from harm."

"I- no, I mean-" Trinite shook his head and quickly jumped to his feet again, an expression of disbelief on his face. "Don't worry about that!" he said loudly and pointed at Mister White, who's eyes were burning with offense towards the intruder. "I mean, thank you for saving me, but focus on what you're doing _right now_!"

"Of course," Lance said and turned his attention back to Mister White. "I am Lance, the shipwright of the Saber Pirates and your new opponent. I suggest a clean duel between you and me, and the rules are simple; should you turn your back towards me to chase after anyone else in this room, I will not hesitate to strike you from behind."

Mister White stared back at him with confusion, and he quickly detached his fans from Lance's knives and backed away a few steps. "You think you're in any position to state _rules_, Blue Sea Dweller?" he snorted, a hint of amusement in his voice, and he released a dry chuckle when Lance only nodded. "Have it your way. I'm Mister White, one of sir Rishley's assassins. And I don't care for _what_ reason you'd turn your back to me, I'll kill you without hesitation!"

"'Tis no less than what I expected."

Back at the throne, Rishley had finally risen to his feet again, air filling his lungs in deep breaths as he tried to control his fury. He kept his eyes glued to Atalaya's face, disbelief all over his face as he stared at the intruder, who, without hesitation, had charged straight at him. _They're that Blue Sea Dweller's companions_, Rishley thought and growled. _They've messed up my entire plan!_

He swallowed thickly and took a step forward, succeeding in stealing Atalaya's glare away from Mister Black. The beastly gaze she sent the angel made him halt, surprised to see so much pure hatred reflected from her expression. "You cursed Blue Sea Dweller..." he grit out. "Mister Black! Do something useful instead of just staring! _Kill the intruders_!"

The angel in front of Atalaya sighed deeply and reached for the whips tied to his waist, and he was just about to take aim at Atalaya and swing the right one when he noticed she was smiling at him. "You seem happy for someone who's about to be killed," the angel stated, furrowing his brow in mild confusion when Atalaya chuckled darkly.

"Even if I'd die tonight, it's not gonna happen fighting _you_," she said and tilted her head to the side. "_My_ target right now is Rishley, and my crew knows that, and that means the position for _your_ opponent is unoccupied."

"What does that mean, _unoccupied_?"

"Means yer gonna be entertainin' _me_ fer as long as ya can."

Mister Black whirled around and jumped back just in time to avoid getting his throat slashed. He huffed as he skid to a halt by the throne and straightened up, the boredom finally vanishing from his face as he observed the swordsman. "Entertain you, you say?" he mused and raised one of his whips, eyes traveling over his opponent's face and taking in the spiteful smirk. "You look plenty entertained already, what do you need me for?"

Kitsune released a bark of laughter and took a few closer to his target, completely ignoring Atalaya as he passed her. "The fun ain't startin' until yer blood flows," he jingled, his smile stretching to inhuman width at the sight of Mister Black's surprise. "Show me a good time, yeah?"

As soon as the swordsman had passed Atalaya, she'd started walking towards her own target, her hands curling up to fists as her eyes raked over the angel's front, taking in every feature, every reaction. "You kidnapped my comrade," she growled, eyes glued to Rishley as if he was the only other existing being in the world. "You dragged him away from our ship. You broke his ribs. You forced him to decide to attack his own homeland, you forced him to _lie_ and _deceive_ the entire population of Skypiea, all the while he was injured."

She halted barely two meters away from the angel, her voice getting louder and louder for each uttered word. Everything from Rishley's scowl to the way his arms tensed in case he needed them to parry an attack, everything about him played with the strings of Atalaya's patience like a harp. "If I'm to _repay_ you for _every single thing_ you've done to Roa," she snarled, her voice becoming more and more feral. "Do you think you'll still be alive once we're finished?"

Rishley released a menacing chortle and threw his arms out to the sides as if wanting to embrace the room. "You think too highly of yourself, scum of the Blue Sea!" he said loudly. "You know _nothing _about Sky Warfare, which means you have _no_ chance of beating me!" Before Atalaya got the chance to react, he reached inside his robes and pulled out a grey seashell. "Smoke Dial," he said slowly and pressed down the apex.

A massive screen of smoke blasted out of the shells opening, settling like a wall between Atalaya and Rishley. "You wait here whilst I go fetch my weapons, Blue Sea Dweller!" the angel's voice echoed from the depths of the smoke, and Atalaya growled in frustration when she heard the sound of rapidly fading footsteps.

"You..! I'm not gonna let you escape, bastard!" She widened her stance and raised both hands, her muscles tensing up as she braced her attack. "Twin Claw Cannon _Tornado_!" she shouted and spun around, a satisfied sound working its way past her lips as the smoke cleared up. Her eyes landed on an open door right in front of her, and she instantly broke the spin to sprint after Rishley. "Come back here so I can beat the crap outta you, Rishley!"

Trinite watched, wide-eyes, as the three members of the Saber Pirates charged at Rishley and his assassins without even a second's hesitation, almost as if they didn't care if they won or lost, as long as they got a chance to let loose in a fight of life and death. "I can't believe it..." he mumbled, momentarily forgetting his position. "How can they be so carefree?"

"Atalaya sets a damn good example for reckless pirates, huh?" The angel flinched and turned around, his eyes widening when he saw Roa had appeared right next to him, Fell sitting on his left shoulder and chewing on a few strands of his hair. The archer was leaning forward a little, his right hand clutching his bow while the left was pressed up against his chest. "This castle's about to turn into a battlefield," he said, grimacing as he looked around at the civilian angels still in the throne room. "We need to get everyone else out of here as fast as possible, or fox face might kill them for getting in the way."

"He'll _what_?!" Trinite exclaimed, but shook his head when Roa sent him an impatient glare. "Right, never mind that," the angel said and clapped his hands together. "If I direct them all out of the room, can you make sure they leave the castle safely?" The archer nodded and was just about to turn around and leave when Trinite grabbed his arm. "Wait," the angel said and untangled himself from a strap hanging over his shoulder. "Take this. I think Lance made it for you."

Slightly suspicious, Roa carefully popped open the container, quirking his eyebrows in surprise to find what looked like an upgraded version of his explosive arrows. "Atalaya told me to be very careful with that," Trinite said, sounding relieved to be freed from the burden of carrying such dangerous projectile.

"Yeah, got it." Roa quickly pressed down the lid of the container back into its position before straightening up. "Oi, everybody!" he shouted, instantly succeeding in capturing almost every angel's attention. "Those of you who don't wanna get caught in the crossfire here, follow me! I'm leading you out of this castle!"

With that, he turned around and stomped out of the throne room, leaving Trinite to try and calm the confusion left behind. "There is no time for explanations," he said loudly. "But I need you to trust me and leave the castle as quickly as you can, or you might end up getting hurt!" Barely had those words left his lips before the loud sound of shattering glass echoed throughout the room, and when Trinite turned his eyes to the throne, he saw one of the three large windows had broken, and Lance and Mister White had disappeared from the room.

The crash had finally set the angels in motion, and they all rushed towards the door, keen on escaping the castle as quickly as possible. Terrified cries and shouts rose from all over the crowd, and the ongoing battle between Kitsune and Mister Black did little to calm the angels down.

For the third time in the past minute, the swordsman took a step to the side to dodge the swing of one of the angel's whips, his smirk widening as the whiplash sounded from right next to his ear. "Missed," Kitsune sang, snorting at the faint presence of irritation on Mister Black's face.

"You're quite interesting, you know," the angel stated and straightened up as he retracted his whip, nodding towards the shattered window. "Your crewmate was just thrown out of a window, and you don't seem to care at all."

"'S 'cause I don't," Kitsune said, chuckling at Mister Black's surprise. "With fancy pants and yer li'l friend outta the way, 't just means we've got more space ta use, huh?" Without giving the angel a chance to respond, the swordsman raised Hebi Kotei, chuckling as Mister Black instantly assumed a defensive stance. "This 's where the entertainment starts," he mused. "Fox Dance."

He burst forward, emitting an exhilarated sound when he felt his katana's blade sink, however shallowly, into the angel's upper left arm. Mister Black had been quick to dodge, so the lunge was far off its intentions to completely sever the angel's limb, but that didn't bother Kitsune at all. He quickly planted his feet into the ground and skid to a halt, a hyena-like laughter bubbling past his lips as his eyes landed on Mister Black's left shoulder, where the tear in his uniform revealed the bleeding gash.

"Until yer blood flows," the swordsman repeated, pleased to no ends by the angel's now shocked expression. "'S what I told ya, yeah?"

Mister Black stared blankly at him for a few more seconds before sighing and shaking his head. "Never thought the difference between an angel and a human could be this big," he said monotonously and tentatively raised his left arm, pleased to find it fully functional. "Though even among all humans I've ever met, you differ from them as well."

"I ain't surprised," Kitsune said and shrugged, Hebi Kotei now hanging loosely by his side. "But ya can't say ya angels never wanna watch someone be in pain, no matter what kind 'a pain yer talkin' 'bout. Ya can't tell me ya ain't got that one li'l sadistic desire inside ya, huh? Or ya wanna keep pretendin' yer all saints?"

Mister Black had no idea whether the swordsman was trying to provoke him or not, but either way, his words worked like a catalyst to whatever anger the angel had been feeling up until now. He widened his stance and raised his whips, and a dark growl rolled past his teeth as he took aim at Kitsune's face, channeling as much force into the swings as he possibly could.

Without even a shred of hesitation, Kitsune released his grip on Hebi Kotei and let it drop to the floor, and, to Mister Black's monumental shock, he calmly raised both of his hands above his head to receive the whiplashes directly into his palms.

The whips dug into his skin, and the sheer pain that shot through Kitsune's arms was enough to make any grown man scream in pain, but when the swordsman parted his lips to release his own reaction, it was to release a wave of hysterical laughter instead of any cries of pain. His palms practically burned underneath the lashes, but if Kitsune felt any pain at all, he didn't show it on his face.

"Ya see?" he chortled, his chest heaving in attempt to keep up with his erratic breathing. "Ya feel that hint 'a satisfaction? Ya flicked yer whips ta inflict pain on me, and now that ya did, 's a small triumph in yer mind. Yer just as twisted as I am, _angel_." He curled his quivering fingers around the whips to lock the lashes in a vice grip, but Mister Black was too shocked to even notice, let alone try and retract his weapons.

"You're insane," the angel stated, his eyes wide as he stared at Kitsune, who inhaled sharply as he lowered his arms again. "You're out of your mind."

"So they all say," the swordsman hissed, his hands throbbing with every single move he forced them to make. "But ya wanna know somethin' interestin'? I'm alive and everybody I ever fought 're dead, save fer one person. But _everybody_ who's ever called me crazy 're _dead_. Which can only mean 's the _crazy_ ones who _survive_!"

Not until he moved both whiplashes to his left hand did Mister Black think of pulling them back, but Kitsune tightened his grip and dug both his heels into the floor to resist the tug, and without paying the angel any heed, he leaned to the side to pick up Hebi Kotei again. His right hand practically screamed in protest as it clutched onto the katana's hilt, but he dismissed the pain with a quicky flick of his wrist. "Now," he jingled, his voice bathing in an ominous tone. "Wanna try keepin' me entertained fer a while longer?"

A cold shiver ran down Mister Black's spine at the swordsman's tone, but he suppressed the sudden and immense desire to retreat and tugged sharply on both of his whips, grunting in content when they both slid out of Kitsune's grip. "Perhaps you're right." he growled and braced his weapons to strike. "I'm think I'm going to enjoy wiping that smile off your face."

"Ain't no one succeeded with that fer years, but yer welcome ta try if ya want."

The tantalizing words were enough to make Mister Black lose whatever self-restraint he had left and send him charging at the swordsman. He ground his teeth together in concentration as he spun around on the heel, raising his whips to perform the same sort of attack he'd used on Roa earlier. A deep sigh gusted past Kitsune's lips as he watched the angel draw closer, and he waited until the rapidly spinning whips were only a few centimeters from hitting him before raising Hebi Kotei to parry.

Both lashes connected with the blade with a devastating clang, and before Mister Black had the chance to recover and move onto the next attack, Kitsune twisted the katana so the whips wrapped around the blade. "Entertain me," he said smoothly, and without waiting for the angel to respond, he tightened his grip on Hebi Kotei's hilt and breathed out, "Cross Cut.".

Both whips were torn into shreds, and Kitsune let his smile stretch even wider as he watched the blood flow out of the large wounds on Mister Black's chest. The angel fell backwards, the shock still on his face when he hit the ground, and the silence that spread out over the room was broken only by the swordsman's constant chuckling. He sheathed Hebi Kotei and looked around, surprised to find the throne room completely empty.

"A-ah, antenna-head must've lead 'em all outta here," he snorted and rocked back and forth on his heels. "Now what, I'm supposed ta wait here 'till the cap'n's finished with Rishley?" He looked around, boredom quickly covering all previous glee. "Let's go take a look 'round this place."

Outside the castle, Lance groaned as he rose to his feet, his body shouting in protest from the five-meter fall it had just withstood. He raised a hand to his chest, wincing slightly as he pressed his fingers down over his ribs. Mister White had unleashed some sort of explosion directly onto the shipwright's chest, and the force of the blow had been enough to send him crashing through the window.

He rolled his shoulders, sighing in content as his joints popped and relieved most of the pressure, but all that relief was blown away when he looked down to find countless tears and cuts all over his jacket, small shards of glass sticking out here and there. "My suit," he mumbled and quickly dropped his trench knives to squirm out of the tattered piece of clothing, his eyes widening in horror as he held up the jacket. "Ruined..."

"You've got quite the nerve, letting go of your weapons in the middle of a fight, Blue Sea Dweller." Lance didn't react to the words at all, he didn't even turn around to face Mister White. Instead, he started plucking the small shards of glass from the suit and dropping them to the ground, all the while mumbling words like "cruelty" and "vandalism".

The angel stared at him as if he would've been crazy. The shipwright's current state of mind left Mister White at slight loss of what to do, and not until he heard Lance utter the word "demons" did he snap out of his daze and raise his fans. "Your back is turned towards me, Blue Sea Dweller," he bit out and widened his stance as he braced his attack. "So I will cut you down."

With that, he charged forward, his eyes narrowing as he took aim at the shipwright's exposed neck, and he let escape a triumphant sound as he angled the fan in his right hand to cut open his opponent's skin. "Die, pirate scum!" he spat out, but barely had those words left his lips before Lance turned around and threw the tattered piece of clothing directly in front of Mister White's face, effectively blocking himself out of the angel's line of sight.

"Despicable angel," the shipwright mumbled and took a few steps to the side to simply avoid the angel as he stumbled straight past him. "Ruining a man's piece of clothing is not a part of _any_ form of dueling." His movements were almost lethargic as he bent down to pick up his trench knives, and before Mister White had the chance to recover from his stumble, Lance strode right up to the angel and thrust his right blade towards the direct center of Mister White's face.

The angel released a growl and quickly raised one of his fans. The trench knife passed right through the leaf, but before it could reach Mister White's skin, he squeezed the fan shut, effectively locking the blade in place. "You have the nerve to lecture me about what's allowed in dueling?" the angel growled. He grabbed hold of the fan with both hands and twisted sharply, effectively prying the trench knife out of Lance's grip. "I'll show you what it means to play dirty!"

He quickly untangled the knife from the leaves of his torn fan and discarded the broken weapon. He equipped Lance's blade, and a menacing smile stretched his lips as he picked up his speed again, drawing closer to the shipwright with both knife and fan raised.

Lance clicked his tongue and widened his stance as he brought his left blade up to shield his front, and when Mister White was only a few steps away from him, he lunged forward, mumbling the words, "Chasse Step Slash". His intentions were only to parry the incoming attack, but when he spun around on the heel to dodge a slash of one of his own weapons, the angel released a muffled growl and slammed the blunt end of his fan into the grip of the trench knife in Lance's left hand.

For the second time, the shipwright was sent flying to the side, but this time, he managed to angle himself in mid-air so he landed on his feet and managed to break the skid as quickly as possible. He groaned as his entire left arm protested loudly, and he wasted no seconds in moving his knife from the left hand to the right.

"To play dirty, you say?" he sighed and stood up straight, raising his free hand to remove his hat. He placed it to his chest and inhaled deeply, his eyes never wavering from Mister White's face. "I will not stoop to the same level as you, sir White." A polite smile graced his lips as he pressed the hat back down over his head, the smile widening ever so slightly as he casually stepped towards an obviously seething Mister White. "I will not strike you from behind, nor will I use your own weapons against you," he said. "Yet still, the one who will walk away unharmed from this fight will be me."

The angel tensed visibly, but he suppressed all caution and dragged his feet a few steps closer towards his target. "You're at a disadvantage here, Blue Sea Dweller," he snapped. "And yet you still think you have even the slightest chance of winning?"

His eyes narrowed when Lance released an amused chuckle. "I do," he said brightly. "While you were clever enough to dismantle me of one of my precious knives, do you honestly believe I'd simply _let_ you use it against me?" He reached inside his pants' pocket and pulled out a small mechanic controller. "This is something I constructed a long time ago," he explained and braced his thumb to one of the two buttons on the switch. "In case I would somehow lose one of my own knives, I installed... this."

He pressed down the button, and Mister White's eyes widened when the trench knife in his hand started emitting a loud ticking noise. "This is-"

"A self destruction device," the shipwright filled in, amusement in his voice as he watched the angel's expression turn into one of horror. "Like a trojan horse, wouldn't you agree? The enemy eagerly welcomes it into their arms, failing to realize that it'll be what spells their doom."

"I don't think so!" Mister White quickly untangled himself from the weapon, growling as he hurled the weapon as far away to the side as possible. "There!" he exclaimed in triumph. "Now it's useless for-" He realized his own mistake when he turned back to the shipwright, only to see him press down the same button again as he dashed past the angel, a wide smile on his lips. "C-curse you, Blue Sea Dweller!"

Lance sighed when he heard Mister White's footsteps thundering up behind him, and the very second he reached his knife, he grabbed hold of it and turned around, both arms raised to meet the angel head on. "The final dance is over, sir White," the shipwright stated calmly. "Knife Waltz."

Two horizontally paralleled cuts opened up over Mister White's chest, and the angel's eyes widened in shock as he fell forward, the momentum of his lunge sending him to skid a good few meters over the clouds. When he finally stopped, he remained motionless, so Lance exhaled sharply and sheathed his trench knives. "The duel is now over," he said and looked around, his eyebrows arching when he spotted one of Mister White's fans lying on the ground. "Perhaps you will come of use one day."

"Lootin' the spoils 'a war, fancy pants?"

He'd just picked up the fan when the voice sounded from behind him, and he smiled as he turned around to face Kitsune. "Call it what you will," Lance chuckled. "I call it opportunity for development." He was silent for a few seconds before nodding up towards the shattered window from where he had fallen not long ago. "I see you succeeded in your battle."

"Aye," the swordsman chimed, his smirk widening as his eyes landed on Mister White's body. "Ya got any idea what we're supposed ta do now? The cap'n's chasin' after the boss and blondie's helpin' antenna-head do... whatever they're doin'."

"Then I suppose 'tis only right we assist prince Trinite as well," Lance said and picked up his speed to round the castle. "We ought to leave Rishley to the captain and regroup while we wait for her."

"If ya say so."

Up in the castle, Atalaya was sprinting up a long set of spiraling stairs, trusting her nose to track down Rishley's scent. She ground her teeth together when she reached the stairs' end, and without wasting seconds, she thundered through the long hallway and threw herself at the final door, growling as it burst open and she landed on all four inside the room.

Her eyes instantly found Rishley, who was standing by the window, a large knight lance in his gloved hands. "You can't even wait for me to fetch my weapons, Blue Sea scum," the angel spat out, his features twisted by anger. "Do you have any _idea_ what your actions have done to affect my plan?!"

"I don't give a damn about your plan," Atalaya snarled, her fur standing up on edge along her back. "If you'd just left my comrade alone, I wouldn't have come here to hunt you down!" She raised her hands off the floor and stood up, her lips curled back into a feral snarl as she scanned the angel's every move. "You brought this on yourself, Rishley!"

She waited for the angel to respond, but he remained silent, his lips pressed into a thin line as he glared at her. They stood perfectly still, measuring each other. Then, Rishley made a move like he was going to swing his spear, and the motion set off Atalaya like a bomb. She burst forward, a roar working its way up her throat as she crossed the space between them and raised her hands up to meet Rishley's lance with an ear-shattering clang.

Without giving the angel time to recover, she spun around, letting her claws slide along the sleek weapon, adding to the momentum of her strength as she drove both her hands into Rishley's ribs. The angel growled and stumbled to the side, and he released the lance with his left hand to clutch onto his side.

"Don't drop your guard unless you're ready to go down!" Atalaya snarled and braced her right arm to strike as she took aim at Rishley's now unguarded front. "Claw Gun!" Her hand shot forward, but just as it was about to connect with the angel's chest, he brought up his hand to parry the attack, and Atalaya's eyes widened as her strike was completely nullified.

Before she had the chance to recover from her lunge, Rishley brought his hand to her collarbones, a menacing smile stretching his lips. "This is Sky Warfare," he rumbled, and a cold shiver ran throughout Atalaya's body as she felt the top of a seashell against her skin.

Pain blasted against her chest as if she'd been cut by several knives, and she quickly backed a few steps, momentarily averting her attention away from Rishley to stare down at her collar, her eyes widening when she realized she'd just been hit by her own Claw Gun attack. She raised a hand to press down over the wounds and turned her attention to Rishley, who smirked spitefully at her reaction.

"I told you already, you know _nothing_ about fighting a Skypiean, Blue Sea Dweller!" he chortled, waving his free hand back and forth in front of his face. "An Impact Dial can absorb the kinetic energy of any attack and then freely release it whenever the user wants it to." He lowered his hand to attach it back to his lance, and he spun the weapon around a few times before aiming it between Atalaya's eyes. "Weren't you gonna make me pay?" he sang.

"I will make you pay," Atalaya growled and widened her stance, her eyes traveling across the room. "But this space's too small, I can't move freely in here. So..." She dashed forward once more, skidding to the side without breaking her speed when Rishley swung the knight lance to cut her from above. She braced her right arm again, but when the angel instantly released the lance to bring up his Impact Dial again, Atalaya whirled around and planted her left foot into his other side, and the blow made him take a few steps back, a curse rolling past her teeth when his back pressed up against the window.

"Trying to trap me with my back against the wall, Blue Sea scum?" he growled.

"No," Atalaya said, a feral grin gracing her lips when the angel's eyes widened. "We're just gonna switch locations." She chuckled darkly at the sight of Rishley visibly paling, but before he got a chance to hurry away from his compromising position, Atalaya lunged at him with as much force as she could, emitting a loud roar as the window shattered under the pressure and the two of them flew out of the room and into the open air.

"_You're crazy_!" Rishley screamed and tried to push Atalaya off of him, but she dug her claws into his robes, clutching onto him to make sure he would be the one facing down when they'd fall onto the clouds. "Let go of me!"

Atalaya ground her teeth together when the angel rammed his fist into her temple, but she refused to let up on her grip. Instead, she raised her head and captured Rishley's lance between her teeth, growling as she pushed it down against his throat. The angel instantly locked both hands around his weapon and started shoving it back, but before he could muster enough strength to tackle the resistance, they crashed into the ground.

The momentum of the fall jarred Atalaya off Rishley's body, and she snarled when she broke the skid and stood up, quickly taking in her surroundings as she waited for her opponent to stand up again. They were located near the outskirts of the city, and from where she stood, she could see the crowd of angels hurrying past the alleys between the houses.

"_You_!"

She snapped back to Rishley, who had risen to his feet, sucking in deep lungfuls of air as he pointed the pointy end of his lance at her. "Are you completely _mad_?!" he demanded. "If we wouldn't have landed on the clouds, I would've _died_!"

"Really now," Atalaya said sarcastically. "What a damn _tragedy_ that would've been!" She raised both of her arms, ready to strike again, but her eyes narrowed when she saw Rishley's attention was placed at some point behind her, and when she glanced over her shoulder, she noticed they were standing barely twenty meters away from Atlas, resting peacefully by the edge of the clouds.

"That's how you got up here," the angel said slowly, and an ominous feeling settled into Atalaya's gut at the tone of his voice. "That's what you need to get back down."

"You wouldn't _dare_!" Atalaya sprinted forward, but as if he'd been anticipating her to move, Rishley swung the lance sideways, grinning widely as the weapon connected with Atalaya's temple and she staggered to the side, the momentum of her lunge making her fall forward.

"You wait here," the angel cackled and sped up. "I'll go drop your ship over the edge."

A furious snarl rose from Atalaya's throat as she rose to her feet again, and she wasted no seconds to catch her breath before taking her sabertooth form and setting off after Rishley, gaining on him for every step she took. The angel scowled as he glanced over his shoulder, but he still emitted a triumphant sound as he'd almost reached the ship, and he skid to a halt and slammed his left hand into the clouds, loudly shouting the word, "Impact!".

The clouds started quivering, and Atalaya's eyes widened when she saw the tremor set Atlas in motion, tipping dangerously close to the edge of the clouds. "Bastard!" she shouted and broke her lunge, reverting back into a hybrid as she braced both of her arms for an attack. "Twin Claw _Cannon_!" The currents shot through the air with the speed of a bullet, and Rishley exclaimed in pain when several cuts opened up along his left arm and side, the pain turning into frustration when the Dial inside his glove cracked, forever leaving it useless.

"I won't let Atlas fall!" Atalaya moved to dash straight past the angel, but before she could even pass him, he smashed the lance against her legs, effectively knocking her off her feet. She growled as she tumbled over the clouds, her teeth gritting together as she turned around to face Rishley, only to receive the sleek lance directly into her chin.

"You think you can stop me from dropping your little boat off the map of Skypiea?" the angel said darkly and pressed the end of his weapon into Atalaya's chest, pinning her down with her back against the clouds. "After I kill you, I'll go make sure your friends won't _ever_ get back to their own homes!"

"You dirty son of a-"

"_Captain_!"

Both Rishley and Atalaya froze, and she quickly angled her head so she could trace the source of the sound, and relieved chuckle worked its way up her throat when her eyes landed on Lance and Kitsune, who had just hurried past the last of the houses closest to Atlas. "Go secure the ship!" she shouted, coughing as she felt Rishley press the blunt spear harder against her chest. "It'll fall if you don't secure it!"

"But you-"

"_Go_!"

The shipwright instantly complied, dragging Kitsune with him to go make sure Atlas wouldn't fall over the clouds' edge, and a triumphant smirk danced over Atalaya's lips as she turned back to Rishley. "Change of plans," she snarled before kicking her lower body off the ground and slamming her knee against the lance, effectively knocking it off her person. The angel staggered to the side, and she quickly jumped to her feet again, widening her stance as she braced herself for the next attack. "Time to turn the tides, Rishley!"

The angel parted his lips to give a sour retort, but his words died in his mouth when he saw a third person sprint towards the ship. He easily recognized the man from his long blonde hair and the scaly wings on his back, and a fresh ripple of rage flared up his veins. "All you cursed, filthy _pirates_ of the cursed Blue Sea!" he roared and charged at Atalaya, who barely got enough time to dodge his lunge. "I'll drop you right back where you belong, and then _force_ the people of Skypiea to do my bidding!"

He tossed his lance to the side and braced his right hand to the clouds, and Atalaya's eyes widened when she realized he was going to use his Impact Dial again. "I won't let you!" she growled and sprinted forward, leaping off the ground and towards the angel with both arms raised to strike. "Twin Claw Gun!" Her arms shot forward, but she was half a second too late. Just before her claws would've reached the angel's skin, he looked up at her, a toothy grin on his lips as he calmly said, "Reject.".

The explosion that followed threw Atalaya backwards and away from the angel, the force of the blow so immense, it knocked the air out of her lungs. "If that had hit me directly-" She ground her teeth together as she slammed into the clouds, and just as she climbed back to her feet, she felt her footing started to quiver, as if an earthquake would be passing through the clouds.

She turned her eyes back to Rishley, and feeling of complete emptiness spread through her body when she saw a large hole had opened up in the cloud, a crack spreading like fire around her and the edge where Atlas was resting. "It's not possible..." she breathed out, and she as if in slow motion, she turned around to shout a warning to her comrades, but just as she'd gotten eye contact with Roa, the cloud tipped vertically and sent them all tumbling over the edge.

She heard a mortified yell coming from the very top of Atlas, and she somehow managed to angle her body mid-fall to see Lance and Kitsune clutching onto the main mast's topgallant for dear life, the shipwright close to fainting while Kitsune looked almost amused as they thundered down through the sky at the speed of a missile. "You need to get the balloon working again!" Atalaya screamed, though her voice was drowned completely by the howling of the wind. "You need to-"

Something hard collided with her side, and she quickly turned around to find Roa right next to her, his hands quickly locking around her right arm. Fell was holding the archer upright, flapping her wings like crazy to keep up with the speed of their decent. "We need to tell them to get the Balloon Dial in place!" Atalaya shouted, beyond panicking. "Get us to the ship!"

Roa nodded, but just as he was about to give the order to Fell, a booming voice cut off his train of thought. "Struggling is useless now, Blue Sea Dwellers!" The archer turned to glare over his shoulder, his eyes widening when he could barely make out the profile of Rishley standing at the opening near the Sky's Redemption. The angel was speaking into a Dial that enhanced his voice, and Roa felt a seething anger bubble up inside of him as the angel released a mocking laughter. "You'll die when you reconnect with your precious ocean, _pirates_!"

"Fell, take Atalaya to the ship!" the archer shouted and reached behind himself to coax the dragon into switching backs. The dragon cried out in protest, but at the sound of Roa's tone, she didn't dare refuse. Once she was safely attached to Atalaya's back, the archer pointed towards the falling ship, but before he got the chance to detach himself from the duo, Atalaya grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him closer.

"Use the arrow Lance made for you!" she said loudly. Roa nodded and motioned for Fell to go, and just as the dragon had taken off, a heavy current of wind blasted up against the archer, making him groan as he was thrown off whatever balance he'd achieved in the fall so far.

"Ah, there you are, Trinite's substitute!" Rishley's voice alone served as fuel to the fire as Roa attempted to angle his body so he could see the bottom of Skypiea. "Don't for a second think you've stopped me!" the angel went on, mad glee in his tone. "I'll be destroying your islands before long, and if you happen to survive this fall, you'll learn what it means to defy me! In fact, once I get the Sky's Redemption powered up, I'll make sure to save you for last, so you get to _enjoy_ watching your own world _disappear_, pirate of the Blue Sea!"

Roa cursed loudly as he tried to angle his body as best he could in mid-fall, Rishley's laughter ringing in his ears like an alarm. "I'm not gonna let you..!" He twisted his upper body, and when he got a clear view of the Sky's Redemption, he tore his bow from his shoulder, cracked open the container with the explosive arrow and quickly pulled it out, not even flinching when he heard it emit a loud snap followed by rapid ticking.

"I won't let you touch my home!" he shouted and nocked the arrow, growling as the pain in his chest flared up again. He ground his teeth together and ignored it as best he could, and once he got a solid aim at the large cannon, he pulled the cord back until it threatened to snap, parted his lips to scream, "I'll tear you down from your fake throne and force you to live among us filthy pirates, _Rishley_!", and fired the arrow.

Despite the rough winds, the arrow flew straight up towards the Sky's Redemption as if shot out of a cannon, and as if in slow motion, Roa watched it connect with the very muzzle of the large machinery, and he could almost hear the small gears go off in the projectile a split second before it exploded.

The sheer impact of the blow was powerful enough for Roa to feel it against his skin even as he fell further and further away from Skypiea, and his eyes widened in shock-mixed awe as he watched the entire underside of the sky island get blown away, reducing the mass of the cloud almost by half. "Holy shit," he grit out as what little remained of the once mighty Sky's Redemption crumbled down from its hold in the clouds, and a cold shiver traveled down his spine as he imagined the fate of anyone standing anywhere near the cannon when the explosion went off.

"Roa!"

The archer strapped his bow back around his shoulder and turned his head towards the source of the sound, the scowl returning to his face when he remembered their current situation. His eyes traveled from Atalaya, who was soaring towards him through the air, carried by a highly dissatisfied Fell, to Atlas, still descending at high speed while Lance and Kitsune tried their best to reattach the balloon they had used to reach Skypiea in the first place to the main mast.

"At this rate, we're gonna die before we even get close to being smashed against the ocean surface!" Atalaya shouted and reached out her hands to grab hold of Roa's shoulder. "We need to get the balloon to work again!"

"What the hell kind of _balloon_'s gonna help us get down to Grand Line safely?!"

"The Skypiean kind!"

Once Atalaya had a good enough grip of Roa's left arm, Fell released a determined growl and turned them both around, hissing in concentration as she dove straight down towards the ship, her wings protesting as she had to carry the weight of two grown humans instead of just one. She gained on Atlas like a rocket, and when Roa got close enough to the ship's port side, he quickly reached out and grabbed hold of the rail, growling as he pulled in Atalaya so she could take a secure grip around the wooden rail as well.

"Fell!" The archer didn't have to say anything else; the dragon instantly moved from Atalaya's shoulders to Roa's back, and she nodded against his neck to show she was ready to go again. "Get me up to the crow's nest!" Roa said loudly, huffing as the wind's resistance pushed them slightly out of course, though it still didn't take long for Fell to get him up to the ship's topgallant, and he grabbed hold of the shrouds before leaning out and knocking hard on Lance's shoulder to get his attention. "What do I do?" he asked loudly, the wind almost drowning his voice.

The shipwright pushed several hook-like object into his hands and pointed straight down. "I need you to attach four of these to the very center of Atlas' keel!" he shouted. "One from starboard side, one from port, one from the bow and one from the stern! Kitsune and I will start up the heaters and release the balloon!"

Roa held up one of the hooks, his eyes narrowing as he observed the thick wire it was attached to. The wire seemed to sprout from the depths of an ornate seashell, but he dismissed all questions and rolled his shoulders to get Fell's attention before releasing his hold on the shrouds and losing his footing against the topgallant.

Considering their situation, it didn't take Roa too long to get all the hooks properly attached to the keel, though he was extremely worried whether or not Atlas would be able to withstand such a sudden shift in gravity once the balloon was released. He ground his teeth and pushed all such thoughts aside as he returned up to the crow's nest, where Lance and Kitsune were standing, holding up the seashell from which all four wires had spawned.

"Ready to go," the archer said and shot a quick glance towards the deck, motioning for Atalaya to grab onto something to brace for the incoming shift. "Okay, let's do this!" With one hand tangled up in the shrouds, he raised the other to secure the grip on the Dial, and after exchanging a quick nod with Lance and Kitsune, he pressed down the apex.

The enormous balloon blossomed out of the shell's opening, and a wave of relief washed over the Saber Pirates, but when the heaters in the crow's nest kicked in and filled the balloon with hot air, the ship suddenly slowed down in mid-air, and the sudden shift in gravity turned all relief into dismay as the momentum pressed them flat against whatever object they'd been standing on.

Luckily for Roa, Kitsune and Lance, they had been smart enough to properly secure their grip on the shrouds before releasing the balloon. However, Fell shrieked in stress as the momentum threw her off the archer's shoulders and down from the main mast, and she recovered just in time to avoid crashing into the quarterdeck roof. Down on the deck, Atalaya had lost her balance and fallen forward, her chin painfully smashing into the wooden flooring.

"Hurts like _hell_!" she hissed as she sat up and rubbed at her jaw, wincing as pain flared up her face, but despite the discomfort, she grinned widely and tilted her head back to look up at the three on the mast. "Good work, guys!" she shouted and waved up at them. "I can't believe we actually made it!"

"_I_ can't believe Atlas could actually handle the shift," Roa mumbled, his words instantly earning him a smack to the back of his head. "The hell was that for, pretty boy?!"

"_That_ was for underestimating my ship," Lance scoffed and moved to climb down the main mast. "Something as trivial as this ordeal is _nothing_ for a masterpiece like Atlas."

"Yeah, how could ya think anythin' else, blondie," Kitsune snorted sarcastically, chortling at the archer's expression before leaping down onto deck. "Was a good run, no?"

Atalaya released an amused chuckle and leaned back to try and spot Skypiea, but they were already too far below the clouds to be able to see it anymore. "Hope nothing happened to Trinite or the other angels," she said, a slight hint of worry as the image of the clouds being blown apart flashed through her mind. "I've gotta say, Lance, that was one hell of an arrow! How did you even _make_ that?"

"Trade secret, captain," the shipwright chimed and dusted off his jacket as he stepped towards his workshop to fetch his hat. "I'll only say I must restock and purchase quite a few ingredients once we step ashore at Astala Kingdom."

Atalaya grinned and shook her head at Lance's words, and with a deep groan, she leaned backwards and rested her back to the deck, sighing in content as she stretched out on the flooring. "We need a doctor," she mumbled absentmindedly, angling her head so she could look up at Roa, who had just landed next to her. "How's your chest?"

"Hell," the archer snorted and sat down as well, raising a hand to stroke Fell's snout, a smile tugging on his lips when the dragon crawled down from his shoulder and onto his lap, where she curled up and folded her shoulders, sighing in satisfaction. "But a few angels worked on my ribs up in Skypiea, so I think all I need to do now is rest."

"Good," Atalaya hummed. "What about you, Lance? Kitsune..." Her eyes widened when she saw the swordsman observe his own hands with mild curiosity, and Atalaya shot to her feet when she saw the deep lines, whose red and purple color looked horrifyingly painful. "What the hell happened to your hands, Kitsune?!" she exclaimed and raised her hands to grab hold of his wrists, but changed her mind when Kitsune released a bubbling chuckle.

"Entertainment happened, sweetheart," he jingled and crossed his arms, wincing almost unnoticeably when his palms pressed against his arms. "'S a rough business nowadays, ya know? Gotta pay ta see the good stuff."

Atalaya stared at him in disbelief for a good ten seconds before shaking her head and emitting a barking laughter. "You're crazy, you know?" she chortled and staggered backwards. "Crazy, and always will be." She grinned broadly when the swordsman snorted. "What about you, Lance?" she asked of the shipwright, but he answered the question simply with a smile. "Fell?"

The dragon emitted a shrill sound from the comforts of Roa's lap, and Atalaya took it as a sign of perfect health. "Alright!" she said loudly. "As soon as we land, we'll be back on tra-_gah_!" She exclaimed in shock when something hard connected with the back of her head, and she scowled when she heard Kitsune's spiteful chortle. "The hell was-" She cut off her own sentence when she watched the swordsman crouch down and pick up a yellow Dial from the deck. "Where did that come from?" Atalaya asked.

"It looked like it would've fallen from..." Roa's voice trailed off and he tilted his head back to stare up into the sky, his eyebrows pulling together into a frown.

"What kind of Dial is it?" Lance asked and moved up next to Kitsune so he could take a closer look at the shell. "Push down the apex to reveal its function."

Kitsune obliged, and the soft click of the motion was followed by a brief silence. Then, a voice spoke out of the mouth of the shell.

"_Everybody!"_

Atalaya's eyes widened comically as a voice flowed out of the Dial, and her lips curled up into an elated grin as she recognized the owner with ease. "It's Trinite!" she said brightly.

"_Atalaya, Roa, Kitsune, Lance, Fell,_ _I really hope you're alive and well, and that this Tone Dial ends up on your ship and not the bottom of the Blue Sea. The explosion wiped out half of Skypiea's base, and while the cloud is unstable now, we will be able to restore it. It'll take time, but we will survive."_

A relieved chuckle bubbled past Atalaya's lips, and she was just about to raise her voice to comment on Trinite's words when the Dial interrupted her.

"_I cannot thank you enough for what you've done for me and my people, and it kills me that I can't say this directly to your faces. And Roa, I'm truly sorry for everything you had to go through because of me. None of you had any reason to help me to begin with, and still..."_

There was a slight pause, and Atalaya couldn't help but smile softly when Trinite spoke up again, his voice suddenly sounding thicker. _"If we ever happen to meet again, I, prince or king or whatever title I might carry, will make sure to return the favor with all my might! But until then, be safe and stay alive, pirates of the Blue Sea!"_

The Tone Dial went silent, and for a few seconds, none of the Saber Pirates moved a muscle. Then, Atalaya snatched the Dial from Kitsune's hands and dashed over to the figurehead. She widened her stance and sucked in a deep breath, filling her lungs with air before releasing it all in a yell. "We all believe in you, Trinite!" she shouted loudly, her voice echoing across the blue sky. "Become a great king of Skypiea!"

With a cheerful grin plastered to her face, she waited until the echo had ebbed out before turning her eyes from the endless sky down to the sea, where Astala Kingdom was waiting for their arrival. "When we meet again, we'll both be kings," she mumbled, snorting at her own words. "Alright, fellows, let's rest now so we'll be at full strength when we reach our next adventure!"

**THE END**

_I finished this three minutes ago! I did not proofread! Hope you can enjoy it either way!_

_You might think the fights between Kitsune and Mister Black and Lance and Mister White are short,_

_I wanna take a moment to thank one of my best friends, without whom this movie would not exist. I know I don't say it nearly enough, but thanks for letting me mooch off your ideas! I lurv ya to death, Mizaq!_

_Okay, I'ma tell you one thing right here and now; at the end, I got so tired of writing this story, I actually had to push myself to get through the end. I put a sh*t-load of effort into this, so! I ask you to _not_ point out the crappy parts of this. I know I'm being unreasonable, since critique is part of an author's life, but try to keep it as mellow as possible, okay? I don't think I can handle negative feedback on this. Thanks!_

_Well, there's not much else to say, except... until the next movie, which will be released god knows when, fare thee well!_


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